


special delivery

by sparkly_seagull



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin Skywalker Being an Idiot, Boba and Anakin are both shits that can't coexist, Bounty Hunters, Clones, Fix-It of Sorts, I have rearranged part of the timeline, Jango does to but he's bad at expressing it, M/M, Movie: Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, One Shot, Pre-Relationship, The Clones love Obi-Wan, and for that i apologize, but it is there, but more of a himbo than anything else, its not too noticable, like maybe don't shoot at the guy you want to fuck, not a lot of substance if I'm being honest, pre-AOTC, this has chapters now and I don't know how to feel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:07:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26776360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkly_seagull/pseuds/sparkly_seagull
Summary: Obi-Wan stood in front of a young boy, no older than nine standard years, his hair dark and curly, and his eyes wide. He looked at Obi-Wan in disbelief, a quiet “Gaa’tayl?” falling from his lips.“Elek.” Obi-Wan answered with the same accent of the boy hanging off his words.aka Obi-Wan and Anakin run into a rather lost Boba while on a mission in the lower levels of Coruscant, deciding it's a good idea to return the child to his father before Jango's murderous reputation is put to good use.
Relationships: Boba Fett & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jango Fett/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, pre-slash - Relationship
Comments: 250
Kudos: 1888
Collections: Suggested Good Reads





	1. Chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> Set a year(ish) before AOTC, Jango is on Coruscant doing some shifty business and Boba comes along to take notes. Anakin is slightly better adjusted in this AU, emotionally at least.
> 
> TRANSLATIONS(put up here so they stay on this chapter)-  
> Gaa’tayl: help  
> Elek: yes  
> Tion’ad gar: who are you  
> Gar jorhaa’ir mando’a: you speak mando’a  
> Ni narir: I do  
> Ner gai: My name is  
> Jettise: jedi (plural)  
> Gedet’ye: please  
> Ade: children  
> Vor’e: thanks  
> Jetti: jedi (singular)  
> Beroya: bounty hunter  
> ‘Ika: affectionate diminutive  
> Vaii gar slanar: where did you go  
> Ni skekemi gar: I followed you  
> Ad: child  
> Jaro bah ori burk’yc: that was a death wish and very dangerous  
> Ba’gedet’ye: you’re welcome  
> Ni susulu orjorer par gaa’tayl: I heard a cry/shout for help  
> Ret'urcye mhi: Goodbye, lit: Maybe we'll meet again  
> Cuyir ulyc: be careful
> 
> Anakin: security is our first priority with safety coming in as a solid second. agree?  
> Obi-Wan: oh look, a lost child!  
> Anakin: *sirens blaring* SECURITY BREACH!

Anakin jumped out of the speeder, twisting through the smoky air as Obi-Wan’s muffled cry got further and further away. Maybe it hadn’t been his best idea to free fall through traffic, but the target’s last location was close enough with some force assisted finagling. His Master would’ve insisted on looping around and parking in a civilized manner, but Anakin had no time or patience for that.

The Council wanted them to apprehend the Twi’lek crime boss, so they would. If Windu had wanted it to be done a certain way, he would have specified. “Listen to Obi-Wan,” was such an open ended command. Obi-Wan would tell him not to get hurt and then complain about the medics’ fussing when he detonated another bomb too close. It wasn’t like his Master was the epitome of self preservation and it certainly hadn’t discouraged most of Anakin’s reckless behaviors. If anything, he learned how to get away with more. It seemed their personal philosophy of asking for forgiveness instead of permission was grating on the Council’s nerves, but it didn’t matter.

No, what mattered was that Anakin was about to miss his stop. He closed his eyes and tugged on the force around him. His senses tingled and his eyes flew open just as his ticket to the rather shady looking hideout had arrived. The personal ship blared at him, the honking noise causing his ears to hurt. Anakin focused his attention away from the terrible noise and onto using the ship as a catapult.

He tensed as he hit the metal siding, launching himself off with a powerful force push and careening to the crowded walkway below. The ship lurched to the side and Anakin sent out a silent apology, hoping they wouldn’t be able to recognize him if the authorities came knocking. It was only the fake ID and extensive backstory Obi-Wan had drilled into him that had saved the day.

Anakin rolled onto the ground, feet hopping out of the way as he toppled dramatically, breathing hard. He pulled himself up, hand instinctively coming to where his lightsaber hung at his side. His Master would be pleased he hadn’t lost it during his skydiving attempt. He tugged on his force bond with Obi-Wan, reopening the shields he’d thrown up so any chastising wouldn’t interrupt his free fall mindset. His Master’s presence brushed against his mind, pride mingling with exasperation. It was a common combination after Anakin pulled any of his so called ‘hair brained stunts’.

Obi-Wan’s speeder pulled to the curb and his Master jumped from the vehicle with unnerving grace. He pulled his robe up and around his face, prompting Anakin to do the same. The people around them let Obi-Wan pass through easily, the crowd parting subconsciously. Anakin tucked his padawan braid further into the hood of his robe, glaring at a passer-by who had paused for a double take. Getting recognized was not something they needed to do.

“Was that necessary?” Obi-Wan asked, sounding more curious than condescending.

“Yes.”

“And that’s where you are wrong, Padawan.” He said thoughtfully, gesturing with his head to where the market entrance lay ahead.

Anakin trailed close behind his Master, weaving expertly through the hagglers and vendors as the smoggy air around them was filled with shouts in all different languages. Signs flashed prices in bright lights and laughter boomed from a food stall. None of this seemed to interest Obi-Wan who had explained to him beforehand that the more illegal activities were harder to find, further away from the touristy areas. It made sense to Anakin even though he had to reconcile that thought with his memories of Tatooine and the lack of any truthful dealings on that sandy hellscape.

He frowned when an adamant Mon Calamari stepped in front of them, his smile wide and hands full.

“Hello hello! Might I interest you in some b-”

Obi-Wan interrupted him smoothly, “Not today, no thanks.”

The seller looked puzzled by the response. “Are you sure? It’s only for the low price of three credits!”

“I’m actually in the market for something else,” Obi-Wan insisted, “if you will excuse us.”

“I’m sure I can help you!”

Anakin stepped closer to his Master, a looming figure that cast a shadow directly over the seller. The Mon Calamari shrunk back, and Anakin held back a smirk. At least his new height had one advantage even if it was an intimidation tactic against cowardly salesmen.

“We’re fine, thanks.” Obi-Wan continued in his conversational tone, a light smile playing around the corners of his eyes.

The Mon Calarmi merely ducked away with a nod. Anakin resumed his close following of Obi-Wan, eyes scanning anything and everyone around them for anything remotely suspicious.

“Anakin, you remember that you are a student and not a bodyguard, right?”

The teasing question was asked just loud enough for only him to hear. “Of course Master.”

“Tell me, have you seen anything.”

This was a test, Anakin was sure. Whether his Master intended it to be a test or not didn’t matter, Anakin would be right. He thought over what he had seen so far, the market full of food and clothing stalls. The Twi’lek they were looking for would likely have cronies at his front, probably selling contraband.

“Master, wasn’t there a heist of those new synth-leather handbags just a few week-cycles ago?”

Obi-Wan’s head bobbed once in a nod. “There was.”

“I think it was him.” Anakin answered with as much confidence as possible, waiting with baited breath for Obi-Wan to confirm to deny his suspicions.

“Excellent, Anakin.” The praise startled him, the guess had been a shot in the dark. He smiled instead, Obi-Wan’s teachings were rubbing off. Most crime syndicates had a niche, and his vague memory of the Twi-lek decked out in synth-leather apparel had been spot on.

Obi-Wan began to take more turns, leading them both further into the market than Anakin had ever thought possible. His Master’s knowledge of Coruscant’s lower levels was encyclopedic. Anakin struggled to remember all the bobbing and weaving they did, all the advertisements blurring together and the dark alleyways getting bigger. Anakin had just picked up his speed to keep up with his Master again when the Jedi Knight stopped suddenly.

Anakin crashed into him, but it seemed to have no effect on Obi-Wan who turned to the other direction and broke out into a jog. Anakin followed after, poking Obi-Wan through their bond with concern. What did his Master know?

_ ‘I heard something.’ _ Obi-Wan spoke into his mind and in the following silence Anakin took it to mean he didn’t feel inclined to elaborate.

The jogging pace had turned to full out running but only for a short time, soon enough Obi-Wan was coming to a screeching halt and Anakin had to struggle to keep himself from body slamming his Master.

Obi-Wan stood in front of a young boy, no older than nine standard years, his hair dark and curly, and his eyes wide. He looked at Obi-Wan in disbelief, a quiet “ _ Gaa’tayl _ ?” falling from his lips.

“ _ Elek. _ ” Obi-Wan answered with the same accent of the boy hanging off his words.

“ _ Tion’ad gar _ ?  _ Gar jorhaa’ir mando’a _ ?”

“ _ Ni narir. Ner gai _ Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Anakin blinked in confusion. Hadn’t Obi-Wan told him not to use their real names? Why was this child the exception?

“ _ Ner gai _ Boba.” The kid said hesitantly, looking at Anakin like he was sizing him up for a fight.

“Can you speak Basic?” Obi-Wan asked kindly, gesturing at Anakin. “My Padawan does not know Mando’a.”

Boba huffed before a realization dawned on him. “You’re  _ jettise _ .”

“We are.” His Master agreed. “Will that be a problem?”

“My  _ buir _ said not to trust  _ jettise _ .” He sounded wary.

“I understand, but it is my guess you aren’t supposed to be here?”

Boba flushed with embarrassment, Anakin could feel his shame leaking into the force around them. “ _ Gaa’tayl gedet’ye. _ ”

Anakin leaned forward to get a better look at the kid. “Lemme guess, you called out expecting only people you know to answer.” From what Anakin could gather from the situation thus far was that the kid called out in Mando’a and had definitely not expected to summon Obi-Wan.

“So you can speak.”

Obi-Wan tutted, his attention fixed on Boba and not the offended expression plastered on his Padawan’s face. “Boba, how can we find your  _ buir _ ?”

Boba frowned and his eyebrows scrunched together in contemplation. “We parked the ship over by CoCo Town.”

“Shall we take you there?”

Anakin spluttered, “Master! The mission!”

“ _ Ade _ are important, I have a duty to fulfill first.”

Boba cracked a blinding smile and held his arms out to Obi-Wan. “Can you carry me?”

Anakin glared at the petulant child, resisting the urge to stick out his tongue. He could see right through the kid’s scheming plans, his eyes had an evil glint that Obi-Wan seemed to either be ignoring completely in favor of solving the bigger issues at hand. Anakin had no idea how his Master did it, he was ready to abandon the twerp and his bratty complaints.

Obi-Wan must’ve felt the anger rolling across their bond in waves, turning his face minutely to send Anakin a warning look and he knelt to scoop up Boba.

“Okay Anakin, can you lead the way?” So this was where Obi-Wan was testing Anakin, his spatial orientation skills. Anakin nodded, eyes glaring at the smug looking Boba nestled in his Master’s arms before turning away. The kid was already bundling himself into the robe as if it were a blanket. Anakin yanked his attention away, trying his best to focus on the task at hand.

It was easier than he expected to get through the crowds, enthusiastic sales pitches died off at the sight of Boba. Apparently it was bad taste to hassle in a child’s presence. Anakin’s mind was still reeling over the fact Obi-Wan knew the language of the Mandalorians.

_ ‘Kark.’ _ He hissed, not realizing the swear had projected across the bond.

_ ‘What’s the matter?’ _ His Master asked, coming to walk beside Anakin, Boba’s head sticking out to shoot Anakin a dirty look.

_ ‘They’re a Mandalorian, his parent.’ _

Obi-Wan merely raised an eyebrow.  _ ‘Yes.’ _

_ ‘But- they don’t like Jedi! What if-’ _

His Master sent a wave of soothing calm and Anakin reigned in the nerves that had been rapidly building. He needed a clear head for this. Panicking rarely did him any long term good.

“Talk out loud.” Came Boba’s irritated reply.

“We’re gonna get killed for doing a favor.” Anakin said in a low voice, his argument was still going to be made, even if the kid could hear it.

“That’s an issue we’ll have to face later.” Obi-Wan agreed.

“ _ Buir _ wouldn’t. Not immediately.”

The kid’s reassurance didn’t do their job very well and Anakin had to bite down on his tongue not to make a retort that’d get Obi-Wan’s disappointment.

His Master hummed, nodding for Anakin to a turn at the latest fork in the path. “We can only hope.”

The rest of the short trek was spent listening to the hustle and bustle around them, Coruscant was certainly lively this night-cycle. When they finally exited the Market, Obi-Wan gently placed Boba to the ground.

“What are you doing?”

“Driving.” Came the calm reply, Obi-Wan already half-way to their speeder.

“But I’m cold.” The kid looked affronted by the fact.

Anakin waited for Obi-Wan’s reply, the one he always heard when he rejected the extra layers his Master had tried to hand him. “You should’ve dressed warmer.” There it was.

Anakin hopped into the passenger’s seat, ignoring Boba who stood next to the speeder with a small wrinkle between his brow. Obi-Wan opened the door for him and watched with eagle eyes to make sure Boba buckled himself in. Anakin almost hoped he wouldn’t have checked, it would’ve been funny to see the kid flying out.

Boba’s force signature spiked suddenly with a feeling of hesitation and without a glance, Obi-Wan peeled off his robe and dumped it onto the boy as he sat in the driver’s seat. Boba seemed to appreciate the gesture of being a human coat rack, wrapping the brown fabric around himself.

“ _ Vor’e. _ ”

“You’re welcome. It was CoCo Town you said?”

“ _ Elek. _ ” Came Boba’s reply, drowned out by the sound of traffic as Obi-Wan merged them into one of the airway lanes.

Anakin stopped paying attention to Obi-Wan’s driving, it was boringly safe and there was someone more interesting to poke at in the back seat.

“Who’s your parent?” He asked.

Boba narrowed his eyes. “Why do you want to know,  _ jetti _ ?”

“Wanna get back to them or not you krif-”

Obi-Wan interrupted him with a meaningful cough.

Anakin tried again, this time with false cheer threaded through his tone. “Who are we looking for?”

“My  _ buir. _ ”

He held back a shout of exasperation, the kid was too obtuse and his patience was waning.

“Boba.” Obi-Wan warned.

“My  _ buir _ is Jango Fett.”

Anakin sighed in relief, they finally had a name. Obi-Wan looked like he was having the exact opposite reaction though, face turning abnormally pale.

“Do you know him?” Anakin asked carefully.

His Master shook himself out of his shock. “No, he’s just got a reputation as a very proficient bounty hunter, that’s all.”

“That’s definitely not all.” Anakin accused, Boba leaned forward curiously. It seemed this was the only time they’d had any agreement at all.

“He has the moniker of ‘Jedi-Killer’. He killed six jedi with his bare hands is what they say.”

Anakin felt any of the calm remaining in him drain away and was replaced with shock. That wasn't a good sign, not at all. And if he knew anything about Mandos, they were fiercely protective of their children. Oh force, they were in trouble.

“Where’d you hear that?” Boba asked as if his mere presence was a threat to their existence.

“I have my sources.” If the cryptic comment was anything to go by, Obi-Wan had already recovered from the bombshell Anakin was still shaken over.

Boba huffed, staring gloomily out the speeder at the building whizzing by. Anakin rolled his eyes and stared straight ahead, wondering about how one man had been able to kill six jedi. The task seemed almost impossible if not entirely improbable. Hopefully Obi-Wan would be able to satiates the Mandalorian's blood-lust with some well spoken words and a tactical retreat. They still had a crime boss to catch after all.

The ride to CoCo town was shorter than he’d expected, the familiar sight of Dex’s Diner coming into view. Anakin wondered if his Master would let them stop in for a late night snack.

“Which hangar did you park in?” Obi-Wan asked Boba, stirring the child from his sleepy state.

Boba came to attention immediately, his small body tensed for a fight before he registered Obi-Wan’s question and relaxed. “It’s two more down I think, the one with the shoe company’s billboard on it.”

“Here?”

“That’s it.”

Obi-Wan turned into the open hangar, the vast building housing shipping docks that extended further than should’ve been possible. Anakin briefly wondered about the fees and upkeep of the place when his Master spoke again. “Boba, why were you in the market?”

“Reasons.”

Anakin scoffed. “They better be good.”

That caught the kid off guard. “I-”

Anakin pointed to an open speeder parking spot to get Obi-Wan's attention, he was still bickering with Boba though, a smirk resting on his face. “Lothcat got your tongue?”

“Anakin.” Obi-Wan reprimanded lightly.

“Well forgive for wanting to know why the kriff we got into this mess!” He exclaimed with an explosive hand gesture.

“I was taking notes.” Boba whispered.

“Can you say that again, dear?”

He made eye contact with Obi-Wan. “I was taking notes. I want to be a  _ beroya _ like  _ buir _ .”

“First lesson,” Anakin scoffed, “don’t get in a speeder with strangers because they speak a language you know.”

“Well it worked out, didn’t it?” Boba shot back, roughly yanking off his seat belt as Obi-Wan opened his door.

“Boys.” His Master sighed. “I haven’t got all night.”

Anakin smiled apologetically, ignoring the smug expression Boba sported as he led the two of them further into the hanger. Finally, they came across the ship he was looking for.

“Here we are, Slave 1.” Boba pointed at the hemispherical ship with a few too many blaster bolt marks in the paint to be considered normal.

Anakin scrunched his nose at the name, fighting a seething retort loaded on his tongue. Obi-Wan gave his arm a sympathetic squeeze and straightened his shoulders, walking to the ship and knocking lightly on it’s hull.

“Master-” He called. “How will he know we are here?”

“Cameras.” Boba answered. “Lots of them.”

“And now we wait?” Anakin shuffled from foot to foot as Obi-Wan made his way back over to them, standing awkwardly at the most respectful distance possible. He got an affirmative nod.

It didn’t take too long, no more than thirty seconds had passed when the loading ramp hissed open and an armored figure stepped out, a blaster drawn and aimed directly at them. The Mandalorian had a blood spatter on the arm carrying his gun and Anakin worried they’d be the next stains to decorate his sleeve.

“What do you want,  _ jettise _ ?” Came the modulated voice but Anakin could still hear the anger in his tone.

“Boba got lost.” Obi-Wan replied calmly, nudging the kid forward. Boba took the nudge as permission and ran to tackle his father in a hug.

“ _ Bob’ika _ ?” He sounded startled and extremely relieved. “ _ Vaii gar slanar _ ?”

“ _ Ni shekemi gar. _ ”

__ “ _ Ad! Jaro bah ori burk’yc. _ ” 

Boba nodded gravelly at the worried outburst before turning back to the two Jedi hovering a bit away. “ _ Vor’e _ !”

Obi-Wan gave him a soft smile. “ _ Ba’gedet’ye. _ ”

Anakin rocked onto his toes, a hand coming out to tug on Obi-Wan’s robe. They needed to go. Fett decided the conversation wasn’t over yet. He froze, t-visor focusing on Obi-Wan with a burning intensity.

“ _ Gar jorhaa’ir mando’a, jetti _ ?” The question was delivered as a growl but Obi-Wan didn’t seem fazed.

“ _ Ni susulu orjorer par gaa’tayl. _ ”

Anakin poked at the bond with his Master, unsure of the conversation happening around him.  _ ‘Master, what is happening?’ _

_ ‘Maybe we should have dropped Boba off without introducing ourselves.’ _ He sounded too interguried by the situation to be truly taking it seriously.

“Thank you,  _ jetti _ .” Fett said cautiously, an emotion tainting his words that Anakin couldn’t identify. Was that curiosity? Interest? His Master did usually evoke these types of reactions.

“It was no problem.” Obi-Wan assured pleasantly. “Goodbye, we must get going now.”

“ _ Ret’urcye mhi, _ Obi-Wan.” Boba called, his Master echoing the phrase back at the boy with no hesitation.

“ _ Ret’urcye mhi, cuyir ulyc. _ ”

Anakin pulled his Master away, casting a glance over his shoulder to see Fett still watching their retreating forms intensely. He had the unnerving suspicion they’d see him again, soon or later. The galaxy was only so big when you had people to avoid.

(Later, Anakin and Obi-Wan discovered that the target they’d been hunting had already been taken out. According to the Bounty Hunters’ Guild, a Jango Fett had dropped off the decapitated head of a Twi’lek for a hefty sum of credits courtesy of a rival crime syndicate. Windu would not be pleased to hear this news.)

  
  



	2. Chapter two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Who hired you? Tell us, tell us now!” Anakin was letting his emotions get the best of him. Obi-Wan sent a warning through their bond.
> 
> The assassin swiped at Obi-Wan and glared hatefully at the both of them. “He was a bounty hunter called-” The name died on her lips as a toxic dart collided with her neck. The assassin's face began to contort, revealing her true form to be a shape shifting Clawdite.
> 
> Obi-Wan spun around to see a familiar armored figure rise into the sky on a jet pack. Jango Fett had returned. 
> 
> aka the beginning of AOTC but this time Anakin communicates and Boba is hyped at the Jedi's arrival to Kamino.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thanks to HeideK aka allheide.tumblr.com for the wonderful prompting! This is no longer a one-shot (but I promise it'll be short-ish). Thanks for the comments and kudos, enjoy!

Obi-Wan stood in the elevator of the Senate Apartments complex staring at his padawan with a dumbstruck expression. He quickly smoothed out his features, eyes still locked with Anakin’s in a battle of wills. Anakin reluctantly bowed his head in shame as Obi-Wan struggled to find something to say.

“You- what?” He ground out, his voice edging on hysteric.

“My mother.” Anakin whispered out, hand reaching out to touch the hem of Obi-Wan’s sleeve before quickly drawing back.

“No, no, no.” Obi-Wan said, grabbing his padawan’s shaking hand and engaging the stop button on the elevator control panel with a quick nudge of the force. “Please tell me, dear one, I must know.”

“You already do.” Anakin bit out even though he sounded unsure.

Obi-Wan pulled Anakin to his chest, arms wrapping around his lanky padawan, silently cursing Qui-Gon for being as cryptic as he was. “Dear one, even if I did know what I think you’re saying, there would never have been any judgement.”

“Master-” Anakin choked out into his shoulder.

“Anakin, you shouldn’t have to refer to me that way, I should I figured it out-”

Anakin’s grip on Obi-Wan tightened. “No, Master. Don’t say that. I want to be your padawan.”

“The two are not mutually exclusive.” Obi-Wan corrected gently, a hand gently stroking Anakin’s head. “I should have seen your discomfort before. I should have connected the dots.”

“So you-” Anakin hiccuped, his voice still choked up with the tears freely streaming down his face. “You never knew? I always assumed- I thought … ”

He tapered off and Obi-Wan planted feather light kisses into his hair, rocking them as if Anakin was only a child. “I am so sorry. Could you ever forgive me?”

“I already have.” Anakin whispered, pulling himself closer to Obi-Wan, curling onto the warm body holding him gently. “But, my mother … ”

“We can see about her as soon as possible.” Obi-Wan assured, startling Anakin who looked at him with big, imploring eyes.

“That’s an attachment though.” Anakin said carefully, eying Obi-Wan with suspicion. “The code, the code forbids it.”

“Yes but no.” Obi-Wan offered, wiping the tear stains from Anakin’s cheeks with his thumb. “The code does not enforce the practice of non-attachment you think it does. Jedi are encouraged to love and feel compassion for those around us, it’s choosing a personal attachment over duties or a sign from the force itself that is banned.”

Anakin’s eyes welled up again, shimmering as he looked at Obi-Wan with an abnormal amount of vulnerability. “Master, I am allowed to … are my emotions wrong?”

“Your emotions are not invalid nor are they wrong, all you must do is make sure they don’t control you. The code calls for balance my padawan, perhaps my teaching has misled you completely from the truth of the Jedi code. For that, I apologize.”

Anakin nodded slowly, the second wave tears running down his face had subdued almost entirely. “Master?”

“Yes?”

“I-I need some time before we see the senator.” He said quietly, hands loosening from their death grips in Obi-Wan’s robes.

“Absolutely, I will talk with the Senator while you find yourself some water.” He responded with an easy smile, flicking the elevator back to life with another quiet nudge of the force. “We will figure out a plan to investigate the visions you’ve been having right after.”

“Visions?” Anakin asked, hovering next to Obi-Wan as the metal doors slid open.

“Many Jedi have force visions, some come at night while others do not. What you described to me sounds like a vision.”

His padawan nodded, releasing his light hold on Obi-Wan’s forearm as he drifted towards the door with a ‘fresher sign on it. “I’ll be right back.” He assured and Obi-Wan just smiled, turning to knock politely on the closed ornamental doors.

The doors swung open, barely missing Obi-Wan as Jar Jar Binks stepped out into the corridor.

“Obi! Obi! Obi! Mesa sooo smilen to see'en yousa. Wahoo!”

Obi-Wan smiled. “It’s good to see you too, Jar Jar.”

“Yousa hair alone?”

“No.” Obi-Wan shook his head gently. “My padawan should be along shortly.”

“I am here Master.” Anakin called, entering the lavishly decorated room with the hood of his robe concealing most of his face.

“And who yousa?” Jar Jar, hand held out in invitation for Anakin to shake. Anakin adjusted his hood so Jar Jar could have a better view of his features. “No! Ani? Little bitty ani?”

Anakin gave a shallow nod and Jar Jar pulled him in for a large hug. Obi-Wan stifled his giggles, thankful Jar Jar had not decided to display his joy the same way with him. 

“Yousa so biggen! Ani! Mesa no believen.” Jar Jar exclaimed emphatically before dropping Obi-Wan’s padawan and ushering them to a set of doors on the other side of the room. “Lookie, lookie!”

The double doors swung open, the procession of Naboo bodyguards walking in a tight circle around Senator Amidala who was dressed in an expensive looking dress. Obi-Wan briefly wondered how much her wardrobe really cost, the extensive collection being one of the things they’d tried to barter with on Tatooine.

“It’s a great pleasure to see you again, M’lady.” Obi-Wan greeted, hinging at the waist in the proper bow.

Padme smiled widely. “It’s been far too long Master Kenobi. I’m so glad our paths have crossed again, but I must warn you that I think your presence here is unnecessary.”

Obi-Wan hummed softly. “I’m sure the Jedi Council have their reasons.”

Padme nodded and turned her gaze to Anakin who hovered awkwardly at Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “Ani? My goodness you’ve grown.”

Anakin stuttered nervously, trying to imitate the bow Obi-Wan had so graciously performed earlier. “As have you- I mean- you’re shorter than I remember.”

He straightened himself and winced while Padme just let out a hearty laugh.

“Oh Ani, you’ll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine.”

Anakin shifted nervously and Obi-Wan could feel the anger at her statement growing on his padawan’s side of the bond. Obi-Wan decided now was the best time to step in.

“I can assure you M’lady, our presence will be invisible.”

“I don’t need more security, I need answers. I want to know who is trying to kill me.” She retorted.

Obi-Wan frowned. “We’re here to protect you Senator, not to start an investigation.”

“But Master!” Anakin exclaimed. “We must find out who is responsible, the version of protection the Council implemented is meant for local security, not Jedi.”

“Anakin,” He warned.

“Investigation was implied in our mandate!”

“Anakin.” He tried again with more force in his words. “We will do what the Council has instructed until the situation calls for us to act otherwise. It is best you remember this.”

He dipped his head and Padme coughed quietly. “Perhaps with merely your presence, the mysteries surrounding this threat will be revealed. Now if you will excuse me, I will retire.”

Obi-Wan nodded and the security filtered off as Padme and one of her handmaidens entered an adjoining room to the common area they stood in now. The security captain turned from the exit door to call back to Obi-Wan.

“Master Jedi, I have an officer on every floor and I’ll be at the command centre downstairs. If you need anything at all, call for Captain Typho.”

“Thank you Captain. We will inform you if your help is required.” He answered easily, already sinking down into one of the plush chairs lumped together in one corner of the room.

As soon as the Captain had left, Jar Jar flopped himself in the chair next to Obi-Wan and was closely followed by a fidgety Anakin. “Mesa busten wit happiness seein yousa again, Ani. Deesa bad times, bombad times.”

“She didn’t even recognize me, Jar Jar.” Anakin replied, a stunned expression on his face.

Obi-Wan leaned back, a hand falling across his face. “Anakin, you’ve practically tripled in size. Be mindful not to focus on the negative, besides she was glad to see us.”

“Shesa happy, happier den mesa seein her in a longo time.”

Anakin nodded slowly, curling his robe around himself. “Master?”

“Yes?”

“What do you think is going to happen?”

“Captain Typho has more than enough men downstairs.” Obi-Wan mused. “No assassin will try that way. Any activity will likely happen up here so we must keep our senses open.”

Anakin shivered slightly and Obi-Wan tried to wrap an aura of warmth and healing around his padawan, sure that the earlier revelations had shaken him more than Obi-Wan knew. “It’s quiet as a tomb. I don’t like just waiting here for something to happen to her.”

“Shesa programmed Artooie to warnen us if dalee an intruder, shesa told mesa herself.” Jar Jar assured.

“It’s not an intruder I’m worried about. There are many other ways to kill a Senator.” Obi-Wan warned.

And he was right. Only half an hour after that conversation had filtered off to Anakin and Jar Jar comparing adventures, the force screamed. Obi-Wan found himself slicing the creatures sent into the room by a probe droid before launching out the window with a tedious hold on the probe. The chase was shorter than he had expected, Anakin pulling up with a speeder only to jump out immediately afterwards as they tracked the assassin who had sent the probe.

Anakin pulled one too many dangerous stunts as they wove through traffic and narrowly avoided a great number of crashes. After taking a ‘shortcut’ that got them nowhere, Anakin finally spotted the assassin. Obi-Wan heaved a sigh of relief, the assassin had chosen to hide in a club. He could get the drink he so desperately needed.

They entered the club, the crowd parting for the unnerving men in Jedi attire. “Do you see him?” Obi-Wan asked.

“I think he’s a she … ” Anakin said eyes locked on something across the crowded room.

“Be careful and go check it out.” 

Anakin’s head snapped to face Obi-Wan as he drifted closer to the bar. “Where are you going, Master?”

“To get a drink.”

The drink turned into two and forcing someone to rethink their life choices before a gun was shoved against his back, the elusive assassin the one behind the trigger. Obi-Wan drew and lit his lightsaber in one smooth move, slicing off the blaster wielding arm with no hesitation. Anakin suddenly appeared at his side, voice commanding as he addressed the club’s inhabitants.

“Easy, this is official business. Go back to your drinks.” The noise in the club resumed and Obi-Wan carried the assassin out into the alley, lowering her to the ground gently.

“Do you know who it was you were trying to kill?”

She breathed in raggedly. “The Senator from Naboo.” 

“Who hired you?”

She met his eyes with an icy glare. “It was just a job.”

“Tell us!” Anakin said angrily.

“The Senator’s gonna die soon anyways, and the one won’t make the same mistake I did!” She retorted with the same level of anger.

“The wound’s going to need treatment.” Obi-Wan said softly, preparing to lift the one armed assassin. 

“Who hired you? Tell us, tell us now!” Anakin was letting his emotions get the best of him. Obi-Wan sent a warning through their bond.

The assassin swiped at Obi-Wan and glared hatefully at the both of them. “He was a bounty hunter called-” The name died on her lips as a toxic dart collided with her neck. The assassin's face began to contort, revealing her true form to be a shape shifting Clawdite.

Obi-Wan spun around to see a familiar armored figure rise into the sky on a jet pack. Jango Fett had returned. 

  
  
  
  
  


-

  
  
  
  
  


Obi-Wan ship touched down on the landing platform, hard rain falling against the hull with a battering sound. Dex had been right. Kamino was secluded as it was rainy. The winds lashed out as well and Obi-Wan heard a string of disgruntled beeps from R4. Obi-Wan ducked out his starship as quickly as possible, hoping his robe would keep him at least semi-dry as he dashed towards the smooth, circular doors of the floating building.

Obi-Wan entered the building to be greeted with bright white light and a tall, long necked figure watching as he wiped the rain from his face. The figure smiled at him.

“Welcome to Tipoca City, Master Jedi. I am Taun We.”

Obi-Wan schooled his features from the utter surprise he felt. “I’m expected?”

“Of course! We are anxious to see you. After all these years, we were beginning to think you weren’t coming. Now please, this way!”

Taun We walked along the white corridor and Obi-Wan followed cautiously, wondering if this was an elaborate step up by Jango Fett. They soon entered an office as blank and white as the rest of the architecture. Another Kaminoan stood up from an egg shaped chair.

“May I present Lama Su, Prime Minister of Kamino. This is Master Jedi … ” Taun We started.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

Lama Su gestured for Obi-Wan to sit. “I trust you are going to enjoy your stay. We are most happy you have arrived at the best part of the season.”

Obi-Wan was completely lost. “You make me feel most welcome.”

Lama Su nodded. “And now to business. You will be delighted to hear we are on schedule. Two hundred thousand units are ready, with another million well on the way. Please tell your Master Sifo-Dyas that we have every confidence his order will be met on time and in full. He is well, I hope?”

“I’m sorry, Master who?” Obi-Wan questioned, Sifo-Dyas was not a name he had ever heard before.

“Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. He’s still the leading member of the Jedi Council, is he not?” Lama Su responded warily.

“Oh, yes. Sifo-Dyas.”

Lama Su rose from their chair. “You must be anxious to inspect the units for yourself.”

Obi-Wan tried his best not to look as absolutely confused as he was. “That’s why I’m here.”

The followed the two Kamionans further down the hallway he’d been in earlier, feeling a pair of eyes watching his movements. The force gave no indication if the lurker was an enemy, so Obi-Wan dismissed it as another Kaminoan. They came out to a large balcony, a huge parade below, thousands of armored bodies marching in drill formations.

Lama Su beamed at Obi-Wan. “Magnificent, aren’t they?”

Obi-Wan nodded slowly, watching as the ones leading the drills called the soldiers to a halt to stand in attention to the three on the balcony.

Lama Su began to talk. “We modified their genetic structure to make them less independent than the original host. As a result they are totally obedient, taking any order without question.”

Obi-Wan’s shoulders stiffened. Clones. The product was an army of clones with no free-will. He tried not to let his disgust at the operation into his voice. “Who is the original host?”

“A bounty hunter called Jango Fett. We felt a Jedi would be the perfect choice, but Sifo-Dyas hand-picked Jango Fett himself.

“And where is Jango Fett now?”

“Oh, we keep him here. After a few hundred thousand clones, the genetic pattern starts to fade, so we take a fresh supply. He lives here, but he’s free to come and go as he pleases. Apart from his pay, which is considerable, Fett demanded only one thing, an unaltered clone for himself. Curious isn’t it?”

“Pure genetic replication? A child of his own?” Obi-Wan’s mind flashed to Boba and wondered about the conspiracy he had only glimpsed a year ago. Pieces began to slowly fall into place.

“Precisely. Would you like to meet the host?”

Obi-Wan looked back down at the clones still watching the proceedings above, wondering if they could hear anything he said. “Not yet, I want to meet the troopers first.”

“The product? I can assure you the quality is immaculate.” Lama Su sounded slightly offended.

“I have no doubt in your expertise, but I want to meet the men.”

Lama Su nodded carefully. “Very well. I can have a tour guide-”

“I can do it!” Came a familiar voice. Obi-Wan spun around to see Boba, a large smile on his face as he gazed at Obi-Wan.

“No-”

Obi-Wan interrupted the Kamioan. “Lama Su, I’ll find my way back to your office and we can discuss more later. Is that amenable?”

The Kaminoan narrowed their eyes at Boba who met their gaze steadily. “Master Jedi, I-”

“Thank you for your understanding.” Obi-Wan said, letting Boba take his hand and pull him into the hallway. Lama Su looked like they wanted to argue but didn’t have the chance as Boba yanked Obi-Wan away.

Boba kept pulling, leading Obi-Wan through a maze of hallways, chattering excitedly as they went. “Obi-Wan! You’re back, this is so exciting. I haven’t been to Coruscant since last time. Has anything changed?”

Obi-Wan huffed and pulled Boba to a stop. “Slow down young one. I want you to show me the facilities, not make me breeze by them.”

Boba frowned and opened a door leading to a room the size of most buildings on Coruscant. It was immense and filled with stations. Children who looked exactly like Boba sat in front of computer terminals while across the way, men lounged at tables, eating. As soon as they entered though, the noise died down. Boba led him over to the eating area full of expectant looking clones.

“ _ Jetti _ ?” He heard a few excited murmurs in the silence. The force screamed of hope, excitement, and wonder as he stood, the center of attention.

Obi-Wan smiled. “ _ Su’cuy _ .”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS-  
> Jetti: Jedi (signular)  
> Su’cuy: Hi
> 
> Other stuffs:  
> -I stole some dialogue from the movies. ALSO; I love Jar Jar with all my heart.  
> -Anakin isn’t flirting at the same level because he just had a slight mental breakdown and just wants to solve his issues.  
> -so Obi-Wan was under the impression Anakin was just some kid Qui-Gon picked up from Tatooine and that Anakin just didn’t like slavery (ya know, like how decent people feel). He didn’t know that Anakin was a slave and there is my explanation as to why Anakin was such a mess, because no one ever helped him to recover.  
> -I’m adding another chapter to the count because I was not able to fit in the clones going batshit crazy over Obi-Wan’s arrival (and I got tired of typing). They are very excited to finally meet a Jedi.  
> -Boba is really happy that his favorite Jedi has returned (and the lack of Anakin also helps)


	3. Chapter three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He instead brushed past the incident and began to question Cody about the Kaminoans and their practices. Barely ten minutes had gone by and he already ready wanted to snap necks, long necks sure, but necks nonetheless.
> 
> “I will be having a very intense conversation with Lama Su rather soon.”
> 
> “I-” Cody’s eyes widened comically. “What?”
> 
> “I’m sure the Kaminoans could be prosecuted on many accounts of abuse and murder.” He murmured, thinking through his next options. He had no need for an entire army at the moment, but perhaps he could bluff his way into getting them off the dreadful planet.
> 
> aka Obi-Wan become the clones new favorite person and Jango messes up big time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Obi-Wan gets drugged and tries to stumble his way through a fight.
> 
> I can’t even deal with my own antics at this point. I set aside time to work on this and instead found myself falling through an internet rabbit hole about learning how cocaine in the ocean affects the wildlife’s migratory patterns. It was completely unnecessary, but it happened. Anyways, thanks for the comments and kudos, enjoy!
> 
> Once again, HeideK aka allheide.tumblr.com, you are a gift for making my half baked ideas come to fruition.

Obi-Wan looked to the eating area, filled with faces that would be Boba’s in another decade. The troopers looked at him in confusion and excitement, a hubbub of whispers erupting after he greeted them in simple Mando’a.

“General?”

Obi-Wan cast a glance around, looking for whomever might be being addressed. Boba kicked him in the shin. “That’s you, dummy.”

“Boba.” He scolded. “There are other ways to inform me of practical jokes then taking it out on my innocent shins.”

“Not innocent.” Boba huffed. “I bet you’ve killed people with your shins.”

Obi-Wan thought back to the skull crushing roundhouse kick he’d misjudged that had left his shin bruised for almost an entire month. Boba was only partially right, she’d died from her wounds later, the swift knock to the head being only one of many. “Something along those lines. Now who's the General?”

“You.”

Obi-Wan blinked, thinks back to the last time he’d been referred to as General. He’d be a child soldier on Melida/Daan, commanding others to a gruesome death. He hid a wince. “I’m afraid the Kaminoans did not inform me of this.”

“What’d you think an army was waiting around for?” Boba asked.

“I was comprehending a great many other things.” Obi-Wan turned his attention off the boy frowning at the ground and onto the grown men staring at him in complete silence. “Did they happen to assign battalions? And if not, may I speak with the highest ranked first please?”

“Oh!” Boba exclaimed in remembrance. “You got Cody and the 212th!”

“Cody?” Obi-Wan asked into the crowd.

“Sir?” A trooper stood up, his face exactly like the rest except for a scar curling around his left eye. By the set of his shoulder and the stance he stood in, Obi-Wan could see he was as competent as he was confident. No wonder he was incharge.

“I’d like to ask you some questions about the facilities and the training you have. I am very curious to how this operation runs and would like to hear an insider's perspective.”

Cody stared at him, eyes evaluating as he quickly dissected Obi-Wan’s words. “Yes sir.” He stepped forward, following Boba as he led the two of them off to the side of the room. Cody walked stiffly, as if he was expected to be marching but was unsure if it was necessary.

“Boba-”

“I’ll go, I’ll go.” He grumbled, but not before addressing Cody. “He’s  _ Mando’ad _ .”

“No I’m not.” Obi-Wan corrected gently. “I’m just adept at languages.”

“Whatever you say.” Boba said in a singsong voice as he slipped just out of hearing range of Cody and Obi-Wan.

“Cody? Would you rather me call you Captain or Commander?”

Cody tilted his head slightly. “Cody is fine.”

“Then you may call me Obi-Wan.”

“Okay, sir.”

Obi-Wan shook off the use of the title, attributing it to Cody’s continued wariness. He instead brushed past the incident and began to question Cody about the Kaminoans and their practices. Barely ten minutes had gone by and he already ready wanted to snap necks, long necks sure, but necks nonetheless. Cody had gotten more comfortable in his presence, being pleasantly surprised by Obi-Wan’s anger at the crimes the scientists had committed. It hurt Obi-Wan to think that the bare minimum of humanity had been blatantly disregarded, the clones facing numerous atrocities daily. 

“Cody, what do you mean decommissioning?”

“They never come back.” He said with a slight shudder. 

“WHAT?” Obi-Wan exclaimed in horror, seeing through the corner of his eye figures freezing up. It seemed that as Cody’s body language had progressively gotten more relaxed, the others had taken it as an invitation to sneak closer and listen in. About half way through the conversation Obi-Wan had noticed a quiet crowd forming, the elder clones taking seats on the floor or at the table that had been carefully maneuvered. Obi-Wan was also sure that Boba had been collecting the younger clones who now tiptoed towards them.

Obi-Wan reached out to hold Cody’s hands between his own, his way of apologizing for causing the man to wince at the outburst. “Sir-”

“Call me Obi-Wan, dear.” He corrected it lightly. “I will be having a very intense conversation with Lama Su rather soon.”

“I-” Cody’s eyes widened comically. “What?”

“I’m sure the Kaminoans could be prosecuted on many accounts of abuse and murder.” He murmured, thinking through his next options. He had no need for an entire army at the moment, but perhaps he could bluff his way into getting them off the dreadful planet.

“Boba?” He called, spinning around to face the gathered clones and their vibrant force signatures. Boba popped out from a sea of children where he’d been using some poor trooper as a pillow.

“I need to talk to your  _ buir _ .”

“Do we have to leave?” Boba complained, winding an arm around his human pillow’s neck. “Fox is comfortable.”

“I doubt having Fox in a choke-hold is very comfortable for him.” Obi-Wan chastised.

“But what if he’s busy!”

Obi-Wan blinked before realizing Boba had completely glossed over his reprimand and gone back to the original conversation. “Is he?”

Boba’s face went carefully blank, a sure sign he was up to no good. “ _ Elek. _ He won’t be free for another few hours.”

Obi-Wan sighed. “I’ll take your word for it.” Boba looked triumphant. “What do you suggest we do until then?”

“You’re wet. We need to get you some dry clothes.”

Those seemed to be the magic words, at the next second a few clones sitting on the outskirts of the impressively sized huddle stood up and ran off. Obi-Wan hoped they were in the search of some new clothes. 

“And we should stay here.” Boba decided.

“We can introduce you to everyone.” Cody offered, he voice carried carefully concealed trepidation. “Show you around ... ”

Obi-Wan nodded with a small smile, accepting the dry bundle handed to him by the returning troopers. “Let me change first.”

He eyed the folded pile, wondering where they could have possibly gotten the traditional Mandalorian tunic in such a lovely shade of blue along with pants that did not match the uniform the others were wearing. He decided not to worry about it too much, handing off his damp clothes to be dried.

The clones all glowed in the force, bright signatures brimming with impatience and joy. Obi-Wan was pleased to discover that almost all of the clones had names, not just referred to by the dehumanizing string of letters and numbers the Kaminoans knew. It was amazing how much of the  _ Mando’ade _ culture the clones have been able to smuggle under the Kamioans’ noses, they have a strong connection to Mandalore unlike any Obi-Wan has seen before.

Obi-Wan sat in the training rooms, sitting haphazardly on a cushioned chair surrounded by hundreds of clones in various states of lounge in the quickly constructed cuddle central. From what he can tell as he balanced five different children hanging off of him at odd angles while he talked with the alphas, the first generation that acted as trainers, was that the clones did not have visitors. His hair was a large cause of excitement, the red hue being a completely new and fascinating concept. Cody had been standing stoically at his shoulder all this time, a protective shadow occupying the space Anakin usually did. 

One of the younger teenagers, Tup if he remembered correctly, had been particularly interested in the upkeep of his mullet. Rex, the blonde one, had gone speechless after hearing that Obi-Wan’s padawan was also a blonde, albeit a darker shade. Obi-Wan was excited to introduce the clones to Anakin and the rest of the Jedi, knowing in his heart of hearts that Plo Koon and his child collecting tendencies would be elated.

“General?” One of the children asked, poking at his arm.

He looked down into the wide eyes and smiled. “Yes?”

“We made you something!” 

Obi-Wan took a close look at the data pad’s contents, a rough drawing of him, dressed in the Mandalorian clothing, covered by the clones using him as a human space heater. “Look at that! You have a lot of talent.” The depiction caused his heart to soar, Obi-Wan bent down to ruffle the boy’s hair lovingly, dislodging one of his backpacks in the process. He heard a huff of surprise and a different set of hands scrabble to take the place hanging from his neck.

“As I was saying-” Started Alpha-17 again, giving the interrupter a half hearted glare. “How long will you be staying for?”

Obi-Wan shrugged the best he could, petting the hair of the child curled against his chest, the even breathing reminding him he himself was in need of sleep. “I’m not quite sure yet. I still need to meet with Jango Fett.”

“We can do that now if you want.” Can Boba’s voice, Obi-Wan hadn’t even realized he’d been sitting by his feet. Boba had run off to watch Echo and Fives spar with only one leg each and Obi-Wan had not seen his return. Perhaps the fight had ended earlier than expected due to the lack of leg usage allowed.

“How long have we spent here? Surely it’s late-meal time by now.” Obi-Wan asked with concern. “I didn’t mean to cancel all other schedualled activities.”

“Can you do it again some time? I like this better.” Bly spoke up from behind him.

Obi-Wan fought a laugh. “Soon, but right now I’ve got to continue my investigation.”

Boba stood with a grunt and started to try and drag Obi-Wan away from the huddle around him, shooing at the children still attached. Boba managed to get him out in record time, using a strength Obi-Wan didn’t know he had to yank him along. They were going to have to talk about Boba’s way of showing people the way, it was hurting Obi-Wan’s arm socket.

“ _ Ibic at. Iviin laam _ !” Boba insisted. “ _ Ibic at. Iviin laam _ !”

“ _ Ni shaadla’e, ni shaadla’e _ .”

They finally arrived in front of a set of doors that looked exactly like the rest, but Boba seemed determined and completely sure of the validity of the doors. He rocked forward on his toes and started to knock on the door without rhyme or reason, just a constant stream of incessant knocking. This was a guaranteed way to gain Jango’s attention, Obi-Wan was positive.

And sure enough, the door slid open quickly, Jango Fett standing in the door was with an annoyed look on his face. When he saw Obi-Wan, his posture stiffened and he looked him up and down. Whatever he saw seemed to cause a complete turn around in his body language, shoulder relaxing and face opening.

“Why are you wearing my clothes?” He asked playfully.

“Mine are in the drier.” Obi-Wan said with a disarming smile, hoping this interaction with the Jedi Killer would be better than the last. “Besides, I look nice in them.”

“They don’t fit quite right.” Boba interjected, his eyebrows scrunched in an adorable way.

“We can remedy that later, Boba.” Obi-Wan ruffled the boy’s hair. “Unfortunately the importance of fashion has been superseded at the moment.”

“Can Obi-Wan stay for late-meal,  _ buir _ ?” Boba asked innocently to Jango.

“I’ll start the food, you need to work on the learning modules you didn’t complete today.” Boba huffed and ducked past Jango into the rooms, leaving Obi-Wan to face the clone template alone. “Would you like a drink?” He offered.

Obi-Wan nodded. “Tea please.”

“I can do that.” Jango said, a smirk flashing across his face.

“Oh, I’m sure.”

Obi-Wan followed him down a hall and into a medium sized kitchen. Jango pulled out a seat for him and then began to busy himself at the counters and stove. Obi-Wan took the tea cup provided with a gracious smile and a small touch of Jango’s hand.

“What do you think of your army?” Jango asked.

Obi-Wan struggled to find a way to compliment the troopers without sounding superficial. “They are very nice and quite competent, you must be very proud.” 

Jango glanced at him with an indecipherable look as Obi-Wan began to sip his tea. He found the cup constantly to his lips, the flavor of the tea was addicting and soothing to his parched throat. Before he knew it, Jango was pouring him seconds. “Where’d you get this blend? It’s delicious.”

Jango gestured to a package on the counter. “I picked it up on Coruscant. I had business there recently.”

Obi-Wan’s smile dropped at the mention of Coruscant and he suddenly remembered the objective of his mission. Unfortunately for him, it was not to flirt with the dangerous but stunning  _ Mando’ad _ . “Who hired you to kill the Senator?”

Jango ignored his question for a while, taking a sip from his glass instead as he avoided Obi-Wan gaze. “Tyrannus.” He said finally.

“Who?”

Jango leaned forward. “How are you feeling?”

Obi-Wan blinked. “I- What do you mean?” The shift in topic had caught him off guard. Jango looked at him with guilt and concern, as if he was having second thoughts on something important.

Jango stared at him. “You don’t feel … any different?” His shoulders sagged in relief, but at the mention of dizziness, Obi-Wan was suddenly confronted by the fact that his world view was starting to warp, Jango’s face contorting into a wavy blob.

“What did you do to me?” Obi-Wan accused, hand settling onto his lightsaber. Jango leaned forward, holding Obi-Wan’s cup of tea up to his nose. Obi-Wan mistakenly inhaled and his eyes rolled back into his head. There was a rush of noise, Jango leaving him alone with the spinning sensation and the darkness while he shouted incoherent things at Boba.

Obi-Wan didn’t know how long it took him to gain any sense of his bearings back, but when he did it was to the blurry sight of Jango, in full  _ beskar’gam _ , slipping out the front door. Obi-Wan stood up and stumbled after him, tripping all the way down the hall to the rain soaked landing pad. Boba’s figure was already entering Slave 1, but Jango had yet to make it the whole way.

Jango stopped and watched with a blaster raised as Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber. Jango evidently didn’t want to shoot at the Jedi who was barely standing up as it was, holstering his firearm and instead shooting a grappling hook line at Obi-Wan.

He grabbed onto the line, twisting and pulling so that Jango was forced closer to him. They shuffled against each other, but Obi-Wan wasn’t sure what was happening til he felt himself get sent flying. Instead of hitting the landing pad, he dropped off of the edge, line whining and wind howling as he dangled above the harsh waves.

Obi-Wan sputtered as the cold rain pelted down on him, he could feel his hand slipping and gripped the metal line harder. He felt the grappling hooks hold loosen, his connection to the landing platform was getting more and more tedious. The drugs in his system were starting to take a stronger hold and Obi-Wan was sure the slight slow in adrenaline production was to blame.

His eyes drooped and he struggled to keep conscious. It was a losing battle. Obi-Wan’s hand came loose from the literal life line as his mind descended into darkness. There were a few flashes of light, fire his mind supplied, and something hard colliding with his falling body. Obi-Wan wondered if it was the surface of the water, but was out before he could question the complete and utter lack of cold that would have come with the tumultuous ocean below.

Obi-Wan woke with a start, his body feeling like it was falling. Instead of dropping into the choppy abyss that was Kamino’s oceans, he fell from his slight force levitation onto a warm bed. He looked around wildly, meeting the eyes of a few worried clones. Name came back to him in a rush, Rex and Cody being the ones closest to him.

“Sir?” Cody sounded neutral, but Obi-Wan could feel his all consuming panic in the force. Obi-Wan’s sleep induced force usage had scared him badly. “Are you okay?”

“Where am I?” He asked, his voice sounded rougher than usual.

“The prime told us we’d find you here.” Rex whispered. 

Obi-Wan leaned his head back onto the pillow. “That still doesn’t explain where I am.”

“Prime’s apartment, haphazardly tucked into the bed just minutes before we arrived.” The medic informed him as a skillful hand checked his pulse points. “I think you slept off the rest of the sedatives.”

Obi-Wan sat up immediately, memories of the short conversation he’d had before his hazy fight in the rain. “Where did he go?” Jango knew all the answers to the questions Obi-Wan had.

Cody looked a little shocked by the demand. “Sir- we haven’t tracked him yet.”

“Do it as soon as possible.” Obi-Wan was pushed back down into a lying position by the disgruntled medic. Cody gestured to a few troopers behind him and turned back to face Obi-Wan.

He nodded once, face set in determination. “On one condition, we’re coming with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS-  
> Mando’ade: Mandalorian  
> Buir: parent  
> Ibic at: this direction  
> Iviin laam: speed up  
> Ni shaadla’e: I’m moving  
> Elek: yes  
> Beskar’gam: armor
> 
> Other Stuffs:  
> -So I never really got why Boba just didn’t interact with the clones. If I had millions of copies of my dad just doing military training and generally being really fucking cool, i’d befriend them all. Like I guess he might/probably has a superiority complex of some kind, but I don’t think he’d hate people who are exactly like him. It’s built in friendship!  
> -When choosing which clones did or said what, I just pulled names off the top of my head. If you have corrections for their ages relative to the others or something, lemme know.  
> -Jango isn’t the best flirt, but he’s trying.  
> -I’ve never been drugged and never want to be, so I’m bullshitting my way through the symptoms. Just call it some force user sleepy pill.  
> -The clones will take absolutely any excuse to go on a road trip with their new favorite person.
> 
> Clone child number ???: Mr. General Sir! We made you some contraband!  
> Obi-Wan: [with tears in his eyes, looking at the stick figure drawing shoved into his hands]  
> Obi-Wan internally: Plo will adopt the shit out of these murder babies
> 
> my [tumblr](https://sparkly-seagull.tumblr.com/) if you want to talk


	4. Chapter four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The comm rang only twice before a blue holo projection sprung from the device, men with the same face all staring at him in confusion. Anakin thought it best not to start off his questioning with confusion over the ones receiving his call, instead asking after his Master. “Where is Obi-Wan? I need to speak with him.”
> 
> “Anakin?” The sea of clones, the only possible thing they could be except a hallucination, parted. Obi-Wan walked through, strolling up to the comm with a kind smile on his face. “Are you okay?”
> 
> Anakin nodded his head. “My mother, she’s alive.”
> 
> aka Anakin pov of the train wreck that is him and Padme flirting with a little intermission of him having a mental breakdown in between the lovey dovey nonsense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aight, this is the update for the week, I cannot provide anything more at the moment from the pile of mush I call a brain. Feed while you can.
> 
> Thanks for the comments and kudos, enjoy!

  
  


Anakin ran a hand through his short hair, mentally making a note to grow it out in the style Obi-Wan had been sporting recently when he finally got knighted. His mind had been spinning with questions galore since Obi-Wan had disappeared to chase that one bounty hunter whose child they’d picked up a year ago. Anakin had desperately wanted to tag along, he was worried his Master was going to get brutally murdered by the infamous Jedi Killer. But here he was, playing bodyguard to a threat that-

“-nakin? Anakin!” Padme exclaimed at him in exasperation, her face bearing an expression of offense and disappointment.

Anakin struggled to focus on her, the small window of the transportation shuttle was much more captivating than her model-like face at the moment. “Yes?”

“Why aren’t you listening to me?”

Anakin winced at the annoyed tone. “I was thinking?”

She raised a perfect eyebrow in challenge and Anakin understood why she was such an effective politician. “About what?”

“I- my mother. She’s dying.”

Padme frowned and Anakin felt her force presence waver in uncertainty. Kriff, he’d made her uncomfortable and the trip hadn’t even truly begun. The Council was probably going to get a passive aggressive review of his protection services from her watchful handmaidens. The group of sophisticated women with extreme martial arts training had been very clear when threatening his life if Padme got so much as cold during the trip.

“Oh ... May I ask?” Anakin nodded sharply. He’d barely gotten to speak with Obi-Wan on the matter, and he needed to get the dark emotions off his chest before he did anything drastic. He desperately wished the promised meditation session could’ve been accomplished before Master Yoda looked at him in pity, assigning Obi-Wan to leave immediately.

“Padme, it’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

She frowned at him. “No? This is about you, not about me.”

Anakin looked out the window again, seeing Padme's translucent reflection gaze at him in pity, her brown eyes too soulful for him to deal with. “I’ve been having visions. My mother is dying and she calls out for me to save her.”

“Where is she?” Padme’s interest had been piqued at the mention of his visions.

“Tatooine.”

Padme’s eyebrows came together and she sat in concentrated silence for a while. Anakin wondered if she was trying to remember that fateful trip to Tatooine, he’d won his freedom and begun his Jedi journey. The lack of response was causing him to spiral, his thoughts turning sour as he contemplated her completely forgetting him and the hardships she’d witnessed.

“Right after that Obi-Wan killed the Sith.” He reminded gently, trying not to knaw on his lip in nervousness. Was it possible she didn’t remember him at all?

“Oh I know what you are talking about.” She assured kindly. “It’s just- why didn’t the Jedi go back and free your mother?”

“Why didn’t you?” Anakin bit out, slapping a hand over his mouth as soon as the nasty accusation was let out. He began to stutter an apology. “Padme, I-”

She looked away from him. “I am sorry, I got so caught up in the aftermath. Naboo held all my attention- it’s inexcusable, truly.”

Anakin shook his head. “I’m sorry I said that, I don’t know what I was thinking.” This was the second most embarrassing thing he’d done in front of her so far, her welcoming aura was making him think that they were equals. “I’m a Jedi. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“And I’m a senator, I’ve heard much worse.”

They sat in awkward silence for a while, Padme occasionally opening her mouth to say something before shutting it closed again. When they finally did exchange words, it was in short choppy sentences.

“This is our stop.” He said, unsure of how to address her.

Padme’s eyes flitted to the bags they’d carried on. “No, it’s our layover.”

Anakin looked around nervously. “What?”

“We are going to Tatooine.” 

The decision was final, and Anakin could only hope he was not going to get chewed out for the discarding of the plan. But this was what he wanted, his mother needed him and needed him now.

After a long few day cycles of travelling, filled with strange and occasionally one sided conversations, Anakin and Padme landed in Mos Espa, Tatooine. Anakin was disgusted by the mere views from the ship, the endless stretches of sand already causing his hackles to rise. Nothing good ever came under the two, deadly suns above, except of course the day he’d won his freedom. That was the only memory he was proud of from his childhood planet.

Padme didn’t seem to mind the heat or the brightness of the surface, she was cloaked and as was he. Anakin stayed quiet as he led the two of them to Watto’s shop, unsure of what to say to the women he’d been embarrassing himself in front of for days. Anakin could not tell what she was thinking, and he was concerned if she possessed a lack of willingness to be there with him.

His mind went into autopilot mode when they reached the shop he’d slaved away in as a child. A coping mechanism he vaguely realized, his dissociation causing him to refrain from killing Watto on the spot. The Toyodain talked away, finally breaking under the scrutiny Padme gave him to tell Anakin information he didn't know he wanted to hear.

Anakin barely registered the shock of learning his mother had been freed and gotten married. Meeting Chiegg and Owen had been unmemorable, only Beru’s soft words about a medic at the house stuck in his brain when he jump-started the speeder and headed to the Sand People camp she had pointed to. Beru was a good person, and Anakin hoped the tough reality of Tatooine wouldn't change that about her.

Beru’s calm and steady presence in the force was a temporary balm for his woes, and the moment she and Padme watched him speed off into the second sunset, the pull of a consistent reality left him. He blinked and the speeder ride had passed. He blinked again and his lightsaber was cutting through the back of a hut to find what he was looking for inside. His mother, tied to a post.

Anakin took one look at his mother’s brutalized form and felt his blood start to boil. How dare they? How dare the kriffing Sand People dare to take his mother? How dare they treat her like this, bloodied to a pulp and a breath away from death? The wounds inflicted on her would cause permanent damage, and that was only if Anakin got her to the medic in time for a future to be possible.

Shmi struggled to open her swollen eyes as Anakin untied her as gently as possible, avoiding irritating the already chuffed skin. “-ni?” She breathed out.

“Mom?” He whispered back, cradling her broken body in his arms.

“Ani.” She breathed out again, her voice coarse and quiet. She sounded absolutely parched.

“Mom, I’ve got you.” Anakin assured, his spell of concentration in finding her finally breaking, the weight of the moment settling on his shoulders. The world around him began sharper as he felt the weak beat of her heart underneath his finger tips. This was a turning a point and he needed to leave.

“I” She coughed in a brittle way, the sound breaking Anakin’s already fractured heart.“-love you.”

“Cliegg has a medic waiting.” Anakin whispered, slipping out of the hole he’d cut into the side of the hut. The coast was still clear, but the force still whispered of danger.

“-so proud of you.”

“Save your strength.” Anakin said sadly, using one of the basic force healing techniques he’d learned to try and give her more life. Hopefully all the force swirling around him in tidal waves could protect his mother instead of pull at him. There was no other fate or path of destiny to face at the edge of an enemy camp, his mother limp in his arms.

Shmi nodded once, her head knocking back against his chest as she lost consciousness once more. Anakin adjusted her in his arms and scampered away from the camp to where he’d hidden the speeder, muscle memory being the only thing that guided his movements. His memories of the past few hours nothing more than a haze in the back of his mind.

Surrounding the speeder stood three Sand People, their guns prodding at the speeder. They whipped around when they heard him, curiosity over his ride turning to deadly intent when he came into view.

“Step away.” He warned. “You will die otherwise.”

They did not heed his warning, one of them launching at him with a battle cry that was quickly cut short when Anakin’s saber disconnected their head from their neck. The other two waited for a moment before attacking in tandem, meeting the same fate as their first friend. The bodies dropped to the ground with a thump, drawing up a plum of dust that settled just as quickly.

Anakin stepped over the bodies and laid his mother down into the front seat. He had a mission to complete and the lives taken meant nothing in the long run. The ride passed quick, the faces of Clegg, Owen, and Padme spinning past him as he sat watching the medic. It was only her movements that mattered as she attended to Shmi, medical terminology slowing sealing the casket of Anakin's worries. It felt as if time had sped up and he was not in control of his own actions. 

Padme pulled him aside from his mother’s bed, whispering words that were supposed to mean something. All Anakin could hear was static. She was saying his mother would recover. He could only hope. The force still bumped around him, uncoordinated and alien, only further irradiating his frayed nerves.

“-nakin!” Padme exclaimed at the same time the force  _ snapped _ into place, his eyesight clearing and mind finally able to concentrate. The world around him came into focus, a intrusion to reality so intense, that it made the one he'd had when rescuing his mother feel pathetic in comparison. Padme's face was suddenly too close and his body suddenly felt too warm.

Anakin was buzzing with anxious energy, the jolt to reality had restarted his thoughts and he bolted from the room. There was only one person he wanted to talk to, and it was his Master. Obi-Wan had promised they’d go to Tatooine and check about his visions and Anakin had seen it through. Padme could offer the tedious comfort she’d tried to extend before, but Anakin wasn’t sure he could sit through her unsure solace.

Obi-Wan on the other hand, he’d know just what to say and do, the experience of living with Anakin for ten years was sure to do that to a person. He punched in the comm line, trying to keep his shaky hands as steady as possible. A slip up could not be afforded if Anakin was to communicate what he wanted to as soon as humanly possible.

The comm rang only twice before a blue holo projection sprung from the device, men with the same face all staring at him in confusion. Anakin thought it best not to start off his questioning with confusion over the ones receiving his call, instead asking after his Master. “Where is Obi-Wan? I need to speak with him.”

“Anakin?” The sea of clones, the only possible thing they could be except a hallucination, parted. Obi-Wan walked through, strolling up to the comm with a kind smile on his face. “Are you okay?”

Anakin nodded his head, a breath he'd been holding leaving his body as his shoulders sagged in relief. “My mother, she’s alive.”

“I’m glad. Does that mean you are on Tatooine?”

Anakin nodded again, shuffling from foot to foot, embarrassed by his primal instinct to try and hug the hologram figure of Obi-Wan. All he wanted was comfort, but everyone felt so far away. Even the force was at a loss, only echoing the words Obi-Wan spoke. “Yes. Padme is here too, don’t worry. I’m still doing my duty.”

“Oh, I didn’t doubt it for a second, padawan.” Obi-Wan said with a chuckle. “How is she?”

“Padme? Or my mom?”

“Either, both.”

Anakin hesitated. Padme had been skittish after he broke down at the medics, her fight or flight instincts kicking in over his tsunami of emotions leaking into the force enough to affect her. She seemed fine enough, an outfit change later and she was ready to talk with him again. Anakin recognized her rotating wardrobe as a comfort mechanism, as gutting a training dummy with a lightsaber was too him. They were quite different, and Anakin was starting to worry over his stress relieving activities, they were a bit more destructive than others he’d seen.

“Padme is … fine. She’s particularly enthusiastic to be on this dust ball, but she’s doing fine.”

“Makes sense.”

“My mother is in a coma. The medic says she’ll wake up within the next standard month, but I- I don’t think I can wait around long enough to see it happen.” Anakin trailed off quietly, waiting for the advice he so desperately craved.

“Dear one, I am sorry you are not able to see her now.” Obi-Wan said sympathetically. “Perhaps you can return when she does.”

Anakin swallowed the knot building in his throat. “Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there.”

“Master-” Anakin paused, eyes flicking to the men watching him intensely. “Where are you?”

“Kamino. The old home of the Kaminoan cloners, Tipoca City.”

“Old?”

Obi-Wan shrugged. “With their evil practices? They won’t have a claim to this city for too long.”

The man standing behind Obi-Wan’s right shoulder, a place Anakin had taken up and possessed for years now, smiled. “Sir, I like your thinking.”

“Thank you Cody.” Obi-Wan clapped a hand on his shoulder. “And for that, you are now in charge of the planning.”

One of the others snickered and Obi-Wan spoke again. “Congratulations Wolfee, you are now his second in command.”

“What? No!” Wolfee exclaimed. “That was Rex!”

“If you say so.” Obi-Wan said disbelievingly. “In that case, Rex, you are replacing Wolfee as Cody’s second in command. Good luck.”

Rex saluted. “It’s a pleasure sir. What are the benefits of the position?”

“Pfft- I don’t know.” Obi-Wan gave Rex a look that practically screamed ‘how should I know?’. “Cody gets to decide that. Ask for vacation days or something.”

“Vacation?” Rex asked quietly, more of a mumbled to himself than anything while Obi-Wan focused back on Anakin.

“What’s my next move? Anakin almost pleaded for an answer. His Master brought his hand to his beard while he mused.

“You could return to Naboo with Senator Amidala if you wish. I’m going to continue tracking Jango Fett.”

“That’s a bad idea.” Cody muttered under his breath.

“I’m coming to you then.” Anakin decided, a planet of water had to be better than a planet of sand. He could only complain about it so much to Padme before she took it as flirting again.

Anakin was done with the conflicted feelings she kept shoving at him in the force, the line between desire and disgust was becoming too thin and Anakin hated to think of how a relationship could possibly be built off of that. No, now that he knew the Jedi could love, he wasn’t desperate to find someone to call his own.

There wasn’t a once in a lifetime opportunity with a slim window of time looming over his head anymore, Anakin could breathe and release the fear he’d been internalizing. Padme was beautiful and exceptionally intelligent, but Anakin felt his attraction to her wash away with every passing interaction and verbal scuffle. They were not compatible, a fact Padme liked to remind him off half of the time before doing a full 180 and trying to seduce him.

The back and forth they’d been playing with each other since Anakin had first come into contact with her again and tried his hand at flirting was tiring. Anakin winced at the memory of obsession he’d had with her, and the few dark trains of thoughts he’d had about force manipulating her into having feelings for him. Kriff, he really did need a mild healer.

“Padawan.” Obi-Wan sounded tired. “That’s not necessary-”

“Yes it is sir.” Cody cut in with a voice of steel. “You need more rest.”

Anakin almost expected Obi-Wan to say ‘sleep is for the weak’ and was pleasantly surprised when his Master merely sighed in resignation. “Fine. Send him the coordinates, I’m expected for story time in the barracks right about now.”

“Yes sir.” The clones coursed, the overlay of their voices scaring Anakin for the briefest moment.

“Goodbye Anakin, I await your arrival.”

Anakin bowed his head. “I’ll be there as soon as possible. May the force be with you.”

“And with you.” He heard before the comm cut out. Padme strolled up to him from where she’d been standing behind the doorway patiently since halfway into the conversation.

“Kamino next?”

“Yes.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Other Stuffs:  
> -I love Padme as a character and a fashion icon, but there are also many facets of her characterization that are just ~less great~ and so in this fic, I will be exploiting it to cause some conflict. Also Anidala makes me really mad for some reason? I used to think it was cute but now I can’t see it. The only good that came out of that relationship was the absolute icons known as Luke and Leia.  
> -Luke is my favorite character, hands down. He goes from ponchos and bucket hats to a black jumpsuit and surprise! Green lightsabers are a thing! Also, Mark Hamill is a national treasure.  
> -I’m trying to make Anakin and Padme toxic for each other, but if it sounds like I’m intentionally making them both terrible people I AM SO SORRY. TWAS NOT MY OBJECTIVE  
> -the sand people suck, yeah … but no? the legends wiki for them makes me so conflicted. Like it aint nice to brutally beat (and think rape was also implied) shmi, but they do this as an imitation tactic to get rid of the people/cantina characters who settled their planet. Anyhoo, there was a jedi sandperson and they had beef with anakin and I find that hilarious.  
> -I've dissociated like once, so I just bull shitted my way through writing it. If you got critiques or corrections, lob them at me and I will fix it.
> 
> Padme, plucking petals off a flower: I like him, I like him not, I like him, I like him not, I like-  
> Anakin with tears streaming down his face: I BEGGING YOU STOP, this is too confusing  
> Padme: Okay then, I’ve decided I like you  
> Anakin: ya know what- I’m made the executive decision of no  
> Padme: …  
> Anakin: you couldn’t pick a struggle, so I did and that’s the dealio


	5. Chapter five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But gestures of interest, as it turned out, weren’t so easily returned. Jango’s saving of Obi-Wan from the cold and unforgiving depths of Kamio was not comparable to the gesture Obi-Wan had given. His buir had put the jetti in direct danger, so his deescalation of the situation was nothing more than a puny apology in Boba’s eyes.
> 
> -  
>    
> Jango’s eyes narrowed and his shoulders stiffened at the name. “Dooku?” He spat out in disgust.
> 
> “Yes. My grand master actually. Never met the man, the one time our schedules would’ve overlapped, he was out committing war crimes in Galdiraan."
> 
> aka Boba has philosophical thoughts and Jango is, well lets just say the man has had better days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, new pov, but considering that I have not been a ten year old for a decade, please take the accuracy of his thought process with a grain of salt.
> 
> Thanks for the comments and kudos, enjoy!

The view from the window was of deep space, Boba’s gaze flicking from one of the white dots he knew to be stars to the next. He sat in the pilot’s seat of Slave 1, looking out moodily onto the vast vacuum of space, wondering where he went wrong. He was distracted from his brooding when the soft ping of a notification captured his attention.

Boba watched with wide eyes as a notification popped up on the dashboard of the  _ me’sen _ . They were being tracked, at least according to the state of the art system his  _ buir _ had installed. Boba quickly traced the signal, tracking the tracker all the way back to Tipoca City, hovering over the choppy waters of Kamino. Hopefully it was Obi-Wan, or at least under his orders.

With one smooth swipe of his hand, the notification was no more. It was like it had never existed. Boba smiled smugly. Out of sight, out of mind, but he was far from out of his  _ buir _ ’s business.

“ _ Me’copaani _ ?” His  _ buir _ asked curiously, standing in the doorway of the cockpit, a cup of caff firmly secured in his gloved hand.

“ _ Ibac meg ni tionir’e be gar _ .”

Jango blinked. “ _ Me’ven _ ?”

“Why would you do that?” Boba exclaimed, surprised by the sheer amount of anger that had boiled to the surface when his _di’kutla_ _buir_. “Why couldn’t we have just had a nice late-meal with Obi-Wan?”

His  _ buir _ narrowed his eyes. “Bob’ika. He was there to arrest me.”

“So?” Boba asked petulantly, sinking further into the pilot’s seat, unwilling to give it to the man who’d ruined the perfectly nice visit with Obi-Wan.

“So?” Jango echoed. “We needed to get out of there. I’m not sure I would’ve been able to best that particular  _ jetti _ in a fight.”

“Evidently not.” Boba muttered under his breath.

“Say that again.” His  _ buir _ demanded pleasantly.

“You had to drug your opponent to get an edge. You’re getting rusty.”

“Get out of my seat.”

Boba huffed, deciding there were other ways to get back for the _ di’kutla _ decisions that had been made other than being a puntable seatwarmer.  _ Elek _ , he could be a nuisance with a sense of style, a flair for innocence, and just be all around tasteful. He grabbed his data pad on the way out, ducking under Jango’s arm and sending one last angry look over his shoulder.

“ _ Utreekov. Viini teh naas _ .”

His  _ buir _ didn’t respond, save for a slight frown tugging at his lips. Boba scurried off still upset, wondering where their shared genetics had been messed up for Jango. No one was dumb enough to completely skip out on more civilized communications with Obi-Wan. Even his weird padawan had listened to the  _ jetti _ master.

Boba darted through the small halls of the ship, coming to the door to his room and flinging himself through and onto the bed. He was tired and angry and not having a good time. Usually when he felt like this he’d go to his  _ buir _ , but when the problem concerned said man and his bad choices, Boba couldn’t very well turn to him for comfort.

He frowned into his pillow, wishing he could’ve been one of the other cadets, stowed away on Kamino in shared bunks with  _ vode _ , not hurdling through space on their way to visit the shadowy man on the bug people planet. That was so much worse than the constant drills the cadets were always doing.

It wasn’t very often that he felt this way, jealousy for the other clones was not a common emotion he experienced. By all aspects, his life was much better than theirs, a  _ buir _ to directly claim, the Kaminoans not allowed to mess with him, and freedom to explore the giant and monochromatic facilities. It was practically a dream compared to the training and testing and death he knew the others to face. He was never built to be a soldier, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t a warning hanging over his head. He could’ve been just like the others.

Boba knew he was different, no accelerated growth or genetic manipulation, just a normal baby thrust upon his  _ buir _ . He still wasn’t sure if he’d been asked for or not, the story that the Kaminoans had made him as a tactic to ensure Jango’s cooperation had reached his ears once. That had stung, a reality check he hadn’t wanted but desperately needed.

Cody had found him slumped against the wall in an empty hallway, and Boba, his mind recently opened to the similarities between him and all of those he’d considered lesser, accepted the comfort with no hesitation. Cody had been good at that, Boba later learned he was exceptionally experienced in the department of being Rex’s emotional support idol and those skills were one hundred percent transferable to the not quite a cadet in stunned shock on the floor.

After that, Boba had recognized the superiority complex he’d been harboring, and brought himself out of looking down on the  _ vode _ . They were his flesh and blood after all, and welcomed him into their games and cuddle piles with open arms. Jango never asked where Boba went for hours at a time when he was pretending to be doing his learning modules directly. No, he would ask about the troopers, their progress, the adjustments he’d have to make in the training he gave to the commander class, and once or twice who was rumored to be next for decommission. Boba liked to think that meant he was intervening, but it could have just as well been a coincidence with good timing. And at night, his  _ buir _ would smile sadly and tell Boba the stories of  _ Manda’yaim _ past, whispering the names of the  _ verde  _ and _ burc’yae _ he’d lost.

Boba screws his eyes shut, wondering what was happening on Kamino. Was Obi-Wan retelling stories to the cadets in the barracks? Was Cody still acting as a stoic bodyguard? Were the rest of the clones upset at Jango for almost killing their  _ jetti _ ? 

Boba had been in shock when his  _ buir  _ had ushered him out of their apartment, past Obi-Wan who looked sick and confused. He’d followed his instructions with little hesitation, running through the rain to seek the dry environment of the ship. Obi-Wan had stumbled out after them, his  _ jetti’kad _ lit and pointed menacingly at Jango. His  _ buir _ had retaliated after a small shuffle by throwing Obi-Wan, his hand still clutching onto a grappling hook line, over the edge of the platform.

Boba had been stunned, watching from the security camera feed right next to the loading ramp, watching in horror as the  _ jetti _ he previously thought to be un-hurtable if not un-killable, dropped towards the ocean below. The few seconds he’d watched before Jango had intervened, were seared into his memory, likely to appear as nightmare fodder in the dead of night.

His  _ buir _ had shown heart though, the second after he’d tossed the  _ jetti _ , he’d rushed towards the edge in immediate regret, igniting his jet pack and scooping the limp body out of the air. He’d brought Obi-Wan onto the ship, gently placing him right where Boba had been standing and quickly assessed his injuries.

Jango was hard to read when he was dressed in his  _ beskar’gam _ , but Boba could see the worry and concern in the lines of his body. The assessment had been quick, Jango picking up the water lodged and passed out  _ jetti _ , covering Obi-Wan’s body with his own against the rain and flying his way back to the door. Boba had watched as they had disappeared inside, Jango returning not a moment later.

“Get us going. Set course for Geonosis. I need to make a call to Cody.”

Boba had followed the instructions, running off the cockpit and completing his tasks as quickly as possible before coming to the startling realization that his  _ buir _ had referred to Cody directly and had implied he had a way to personally communicate with him. That had started another onslaught of thinking, Boba wondering if the sorrow he’d seen Jango express about the  _ vode _ once or twice was a common occurrence.

Perhaps the stories were true that the Alphas told of Jango raising them in the ways of  _ Manda’yaim _ and teaching them the language in addition to the flash learning module all cadets went through. Maybe Cody had been telling the truth when he said Jango had named him personally as an apology for the harshness of their training. And maybe, just maybe, the front his  _ buir  _ put out, pretending to be indifferent to the treatment of the troopers was, after all, just a front.

Boba held those thoughts close in the day cycles that they travelled towards Geonosis as he waited in high hopes for Obi-Wan to swoop in out of nowhere and force his  _ buir _ to apologize. Boba had thought they’d been off to a great start, his  _ buir _ agreeing to a late-meal and all. Apparently, Boba had read the signs very wrong.

When Jango had asked about Obi-Wan for almost a month-cycle after the Coruscant incident before just hacking into the  _ jettise _ database because the answers Boba could provide him with were too vague. Boba was sure that his  _ buir _ had been entranced by Obi-Wan’s knowledge and use of Mando’a along with his speedy return of Boba. Returning an  _ ad _ had to be a come on, with the emphasis on parenting in  _ Mando’ade _ culture, Obi-Wan surely knew what he was doing.

But gestures of interest, as it turned out, weren’t so easily returned. Jango’s saving of Obi-Wan from the cold and unforgiving depths of Kamio was not comparable to the gesture Obi-Wan had given. His  _ buir _ had put the  _ jetti  _ in direct danger, so his deescalation of the situation was nothing more than a puny apology in Boba’s eyes.

They had just entered Geonosis’ orbit when Boba’s hopes finally came to fruition. The dashboard of the cockpit lit up brightly, a flashing warning of an incoming call. Jango swore under his breath, jamming on his  _ buy’ce _ while muttering about impatient Tyrannus. It was not Tyrannus, the shadowy man with a penchant for capes and excessive frowning.

“Hello there.” Obi-Wan said pleasantly, the only welcoming face in the sea of faces standing to his side and behind him.

Clones crowded around the holo call from all sides, and since the call was not a hologram, Boba could see the colors and ranking clearly displayed on their armor.

“Forgive, but it would seem our hologram comm is broken, so 2D will have to do.”

Jango nodded once. “Why do you call?”

“Why? To say hello of course.” Obi-Wan responded lightly, in contrast to the blank or angry faces behind him. Anakin stood shoulder to shoulder with Cody, both of them trying to stand behind Obi-Wan’s right side. Boba snickered at the sheer passive aggressive energy emitted from both of their postures. “Boba! How are you?”

“You’re closing in, aren’t you?” His  _ buir _ asked flatly, pulling off his  _ buy’ce _ in a subtle display of trust. The troopers noticed, the few who had helmets on removed them in turn.

“We are.” Obi-Wan affirmed. “Although, before we discuss that, can you please explain to me why you are working with Dooku?”

Jango’s eyes narrowed and his shoulders stiffened at the name. “Dooku?” He spat out in disgust.

“Yes. My grand master actually. Never met the man, the one time our schedules would’ve overlapped, he was out committing war crimes in Galdiraan."

Boba heard his  _ buir _ ’s teeth grind. “Dooku. He is  _ dar’jetti _ ?”

Obi-Wan looked confused. “He is not a Sith. I have not seen him since he left the order about a decade ago, right after the Battle of Naboo actually. Tall, graying hair, capes … goatee?”

“ _ Haar’chak _ .”

“Jango? Can you please just tell me why you have contact with him?”

His  _ buir _ ’s head snapped up to look dead at Obi-Wan. He sounded apologetic and yet somehow also filled with unbridaled rage. “Dooku is Tyrannus.”

“What.” Obi-Wan’s tone of voice caused Anakin, who had been previously boring a hole into Jango’s head with intensity of his glare, turned to Obi-Wan with concern, his expression becoming open and soft.

“Sir?” Cody prodded gently, ignoring Anakin and pushing the padawan to stand at Obi-Wan’s left shoulder instead.

“There are always two.” Obi-Wan breathed out. “And we refused to believe I’d killed the apprentice. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Oh no.” Anakin paled considerably.

“Oh no is right.” Boba agreed, drawing attention to the newest notification that had appeared on the dashboard. “Shadowy man wants to know why we haven’t entered the atmosphere.”

“Go. We’ll follow after you.” Obi-Wan commanded, switching from his friendly persona to his military leader one in a heartbeat. “I have a plan.”

“Are we springing the trap?” Anakin asked excitedly. 

“We better not be.” Cody said with disapproval, gesturing for Rex to stop looking so excited.

“I am most sorry, Commander.” Obi-Wan said sympathetically. “But I am afraid that is a risk I must take.”

“It isn’t.” Jango argued.

“Well, I’m sure we’ll see each other down there.” Obi-Wan said with a smile. “ _ Ret'urcye mhi. _ ”

And with that, the feed cut out. Boba watched curiously as his  _ buir _ lowered his head into his hands.

“Boba.” He sighed. “He’s going to spring the trap. He’s using himself as bait.”

“You shouldn’t be surprised by anything Obi-Wan does.” Boba noted helpfully, adjusting the autopilot to begin their descent. “Who is Dooku by the way?”

Jango ruffled his hair in a sign of affection. “A  _ dar’jetti _ . He led the attack against my people. He’s the reason the  _ Haat Mando’ade _ are dead.”

“But I thought- they are all dead?”

His  _ buir _ shook his head. “Not all. Only the majority. All of our warriors, all of those who were fit and able bodied at the time. There are still clans who would bow to me, but the  _ Haat Mando’ade _ , we are very few in this expansive and unforgiving galaxy.”

“I am sorry.”

“There is no need to apologize Bob’ika.”

Boba contemplated for a moment as his  _ buir _ brought the  _ me’sen _ to a smooth landing. “Are all the clones  _ Haat Mando’ade _ ?” Jango stared at him. “And while I’m asking intrusive questions, can Obi-Wan be my other  _ buir _ ?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS:  
> Me’sen: star ship  
> Buir: parent  
> Me’copaani: what do you want?  
> Ibac meg ni tionir’e be gar: that’s what I’m of you  
> Me’ven: huh? What? (expression of bewilderment or disbelief)  
> Di’kutla: foolish, idiotic  
> Utreekov: fool, idiot (lit: emptyhead)  
> Viini teh naas: running from nothing  
> Jetti: Jedi (singular)  
> Vode: siblings  
> Manda’yaim: Mandalore  
> Verde: soldiers, warriors  
> Burc’yae: friends  
> Jetti’kad: lightsaber  
> Beskar’gam: armor  
> Jettise: jedi (plural)  
> Ad: child  
> Buy’ce: helmet  
> Dar’jetti: sith, darksider, no longer a jedi  
> Ret'urcye mhi: goodbye, lit: maybe we’ll meet again  
> Haat Mando’ade: True Mandalorians
> 
> Other Stuffs:  
> -I promised myself that if I finish this that I’ll post a different wip, so it’s honestly a race against the ticking time bomb in my drafts.  
> -Boba is the child who is not afraid to call out their parent with full force, but then again, he did just lose his other dad.  
> -So while Boba is getting angry at Jango for fucking up his first date, Jango is just thinking a constant stream of ‘oh no oh no oh no. does my child not understand i am already in the five stages of grief. I fucked up a perfectly good second impression and tried to throw the attractive man to his death.’ while he’s trying to make excuses to Boba’s face. “But! Jail! No!”  
> -buir has tried to correct to build, bruise, bill, bird, and burial.  
> -Heh, I’ve just realized. Jango was in gay panic.  
> -quick rundown of Dooku and Galidraan for those who might be confused: death watch tricked the jedi into sending an attack squad to straight up murder all of the true mandalorians/Jango’s people and then Jango was the only survivor and got sold into slavery. The end.  
> -I just … the shuffling of cannon events … I’ve gotten lost in my planning and can’t turn back now… this was supposed to be a one shot. A ONE SHOT.


	6. Chapter six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dooku frowned at Obi-Wan. "Do you not see the corruption that has been breeding in the Galactic Senate? All the lies that are being swept under the rug?"
> 
> "Oh, I do. Did you really think I put all my trust in the Chancellor? His rise to power was too … unheard of. I am absolutely positive that there is something sketchy going on with him and his supporters, but a Sith Lord controlling the senate? That seems a bit much of an accusation to level on man, especially so soon into my abduction."
> 
> aka Obi-Wan does dumb things like talk back to his captor and Anakin does not like Geonosis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might I offer a bit of escapism in this stressful time? 💙 Thanks for the comments and kudos, enjoy!

Anakin stood, surrounded by troopers as they all stared intently at the comm call with a direct and muted line to Obi-Wan. He’d been General for a day-cycle and the man had already surrendered himself to a probably-a-sith-lord just to mess with their enemy. Anakin was sure that this idea would have repercussions he couldn’t even begin to imagine, but instead of trying, he just focused on the present and the verbal sparring match between his Master and his Grand Grand Master. So far they were off to a civilized enough start, Obi-Wan was probably perfectly in his element.

_ ‘Dooku.’ _ Obi-Wan sighed, the view from his body comm showing the world upside down. Anakin wondered briefly how much blood had rushed into his Master’s head.  _ ‘Before I dissect all of the ramblings that have left your mouth, might you be kind enough to turn me the right way?’ _

The upside down Dooku began to right himself in the hologram of the comm as he frowned at Obi-Wan.  _ ‘Do you not see the corruption that has been breeding in the Galactic Senate? All the lies that are being swept under the rug?’ _

_ ‘Oh, I do. Did you really think I put all my trust in the Chancellor? His rise to power was too … unheard of. I am absolutely positive that there is something sketchy going on with him and his supporters, but a Sith Lord controlling the senate? That seems a bit much of an accusation to level on man, especially so soon into my abduction.’ _

_ ‘Grandpadawan, why would I parcel my knowledge when both you and I know that those who control the Jedi are not who they seem? There is a web of darkness setting over the Order and the weak willed ones in charge are letting you get trapped further and further into oppression. Furthermore-’ _

_ ‘I’m going to stop you there.’  _ Obi-Wan interrupted cheerfully.

“Is he always like this?” Asked Cody in amazement. Anakin could already tell that Obi-Wan had gained another person who would sacrifice their life for his. In all honesty, he felt the list was getting too long and had been too long since he’d joined years ago.

“Debating with captors? Yeah, it’s not unusual.”

Rex leaned in. “When you said ‘spring the trap’, I wasn’t imagining this.”

Anakin smiled and resisted the urge to agree as Obi-Wan continued to talk.  _ ‘First off, what happened to you? I thought you were going to sip alcoholic beverages on a beach and die a respectable bag of wrinkles, not use philosophy to justify mass extermination. You left the order to what? Order an army of clones and start a civil war?’ _

Dooku balked, his face temporarily losing its mask of indifference and confidence _. ‘How did you kn- an army?’ _

_ ‘That was you I’m sure. Great placer of orders of human lives with the only intention of using sentients as cannon fodder. Tyrannus? Right? Forgive if that’s not how to pronounce your Sith given name, I don’t wish to offend.’ _

Dooku righted himself, smoothing out his features into pleasantness once more.  _ ‘ ... It is, but do not discount it based on your notions previously conceived in lies and slander. The way of the Sith has opened up many opportunities that had been blocked for me by the restricted and twisted ideologies of the Jedi.’ _

_ ‘Ah, so you got the sophisticated propaganda.’ _ Obi-Wan noted. Anakin blinked rapidly, trying to process the implication that had just slapped him right across the face. 

The fancy propaganda as Obi-Wan called it would’ve definitely worked on him. The strength in his convictions to the order had been waning before he’d opened up his insecurities to Obi-Wan and been met with nothing but love and support. Had anything gone different … well, he wasn’t sure.

_ ‘Propaganda? No, you are mistaken. I only show you the truth, the unbiased facts.’ _

_ ‘Unbiased you say?’ _

Dooku’s face began to contort, he could tell he was getting nowhere.  _ ‘I cannot educate you if you insist on being insolent. The light is not what you think, it is a heavy hand steering you to what the council wishes. They would have you sign allegiance to the Republic and give up the force given rights of the Jedi to live by the will of the force.’ _

_ ‘And the force wills you to try and begin an intergalactic war? The Jedi Order is too closely aligned with the Republic, I will give you that, but do you not think it is because the Republic controls most of the Galaxy? We must serve the biggest population we can even if it means sacrifices in our patrolling of areas that explicitly do not want Jedi interference. I will not go against that and neither should you. The will of the force is the safety of the Galaxy, no higher will encourages trillions of deaths at your hands.’ _

_ ‘So you can debate me on philosophy even if you are so astoundingly misguided.’ _ Dooku crooned.  _ ‘Well, I think it is best you choose your next words carefully if you wish to say in the condition I found you in.’ _

_ ‘Disgruntled?’ _

Dooku sighed deeply.  _ ‘Are you not tired of it all? The bureaucrats, the hypocrisy, the corruption? It will not be long before the cult of greed, what you call the Galactic Republic, will lose even the pretense of democracy and freedom. Now tell me, who will you side with?’ _

Anakin held his breath, mirroring the anxiety of the troopers around him as they waited for Obi-Wan’s response. His Master’s voice sounded cold steely, unlike the light cadence he’d been speaking in earlier as he icily rejected Dooku.  _ ‘You speak big game for a foolish man. Only the arrogant would follow your lead.’ _

In the hologram, Dooku’s face contorted into an expression of pure rage.  _ ‘You will come to regret that decision. The Jedi will be nothing but a myth.’ _ Dooku raised one of his gnarled hands, and Anakin watched in horror as lightning shot from his fingertips straight at Obi-Wan. His Master’s comm shorted out with the onslaught of force powered electricity, leaving Anakin and the troopers in stunned silence.

“Oh no.” Anakin choked out, the plan had backfired too far.

“What did I just witness?” Asked a voice from the shadows, anger lacing their metallic tone and sending a shiver of foreboding down Anakin’s spine.

Cody straightened at Anakin’s side and Rex shifted to put himself in front of the padawan as a shield. “The General has been captured.”

“I can see that.” The shadowy figure growled out. “Explain to me why he thought it a good idea to willingly put himself in that position.”

“Oh trust me,” Anakin scoffed. “This is his typical behavior.”

“Typical?” Rex muttered in confusion.

Anakin shrugged. “My master has strange but effective ways.”

“I’ll say.”

Cody ignored the two of them, pushing past the rest of the infantry squad that had snuck into the Geonosis palace after Obi-Wan and toward the enclave that the intruder loomed in. He moved along a few steps into the crumbled stones that made the far wall of the dead end hallway, stopping in front of the loomer.

“Prime,” He addressed warily. “Where is Boba?”

Prime wasn’t Jango Fett, was it? Anakin tried to piece together the facts before he recognized the distinctive armor of the famed Mandalorian. It was Fett in all his intimidating stanced and extremely deadly glory.

He paused before speaking. “ _ Bob’ika o’r me’sen. Ni nayc utreekov. _ ”

“ _ Gar goorar’e jetti lo sho’cye _ .” Whatever Cody had said caused Fett’s force signature to spike with shame and regret for a moment before he pulled his emotions back under tight control. “ _ Tion’jor gar gaa’taylir mhi _ ?”

Fett stood taller. “ _ Gar nayc ganar ruusaan _ ?”

“There are limits.”

Fett titled his head to the side in acknowledgement, having moved to merge with their group huddle. “ _ Tion’jor jorhaa’ir norac _ ?” His question sounded slightly teasing, but Anakin wasn’t sure of anything that was going on at the moment.

“ _ Ni al’verde bal gar jorhaa’ir bid ibac _ .”

“Could you please translate?” Anakin stressed, getting worried by the prodding remarks that Fett and Cody were throwing at each other. “All I need is a good reason to trust Mr. Jedi Killer here not to shoot me dead and I don’t know, steal my bones or something.”

“Obi-Wan cares for you, does he not?” Fett asked his question like Anakin was a dumb child who could not grasp simple concepts. Anakin swallowed nervously and nodded, trying not to overthink the question he hoped he knew the answer to. “Then you’ll be fine.”

“Seems legit.”

Cody clapped the speaker on the shoulder in resignation. “Bly has spoken, let’s go get the General. Rex, call in backup to start coming down, we’ll likely need a medic or two.”

“Yes sir!”

It didn’t take long to locate Obi-Wan, the bright flashes of light from the force lightning and Jango Fett’s unparalleled tracking abilities led them to a large cavern, the energy shield used to hold Obi-Wan earlier was ominously empty. Anakin stepped into the cavern without much thought, being caught by complete and utter surprise when Dooku whipped around to face him, a twisted smile on his lips and death in his eyes.

“It’s your failure of a padawan.” Dooku announced, baiting Obi-Wan who had disappeared from view. Anakin could barely feel the thrumming bond shared between them under the heavy shielding Obi-Wan was using.

Anakin snarled a challenge as he unhooked his lightsaber from his belt. The voice of reason in the back of his mind, it sounded suspiciously like Obi-Wan, whispered for him to retreat and rethink his strategy. Too soon and too quick, he was in imminent danger, mistakes were being made. 

Dooku pointed his own red blade at Anakin, pity mixed with humor displayed in his stance. He had no faith in Anakin’s skills. “Obi-Wan.” He called out to the room. “You might have been able to slip from my trap once, but are you willing to risk your padawan’s pathetic life?”

“Anakin is more of a Jedi than you will ever be.” Obi-Wan spoke from behind the Sith. He had his own lightsaber ignited and ready to attack the taunting Sith Lord.

“We’ll see.”

Obi-Wan and Dooku clashed together in a flurry of blue and red, the fight intense and fueled by anger. Anakin stood on the fringe, taking part but only swiping occasionally at Dooku’s form. Obi-Wan seemed to be losing ground, a limp in his leg likely from earlier torture being the culprit. Anakin stepped into the heart of the fray, acting in tandem with his Master as they fought off Dooku.

Dooku had a surprise up his sleeve, using a powerful force push to launch Anakin across the room and hit the rock wall at top speed. He crumpled to the ground, feeling pain lancing through his body and overwhelming his senses. Anakin tried to push it aside, Obi-Wan needed him.

“It’s a shame you have to cater to the human baggage.” Dooku said with mock sincerity, his hand raised to the ceiling above Anakin. Anakin looked up and watched in horror as cracks began to spread along the rock surface, a large chunk already loosening under the force manipulation.

“You wouldn’t dare.” Obi-Wan seethed, ducking away from Dooku and rushing towards Anakin. His mouth opened to shout a warning, but Anakin never heard it, the blood rushing into his ears and blocking out all noise as the slab of ceiling began its quick descent towards him.

The force tugged at him, a reflex response from Obi-Wan who managed to drag his body away in time to stop all but a small boulder from hitting Anakin. The stone slammed into his right arm, crushing the lightsaber he’d been holding and smashing all of his bones.

Anakin howled in pain, seeing nothing but white as the terrible feeling shook through his body. Everything was on fire and everything hurt. The offending rock was thrown off by a blast of force, a push Obi-Wan had let out in retaliation. The lifting of weight was only comforting for a few seconds until the pain overrode it again.

Obi-Wan’s hands lightly grasped Anakin’s forearm, life force draining into their bond as he tried to numb the pain. Anakin registered the difference it was making, the pain becoming less excruciating and leaving him enough attention to distantly focus on the sound of intense blaster fire.

His Master sat him up, the continuous out pour of force intention the only thing from keeping him cry out in pain that he was sure could’ve killed him. Obi-Wan sat him up gently and turned his gaze to the scene where all the troopers stood in silence.

Obi-Wan looked down with a frown at the body of Dooku, the smoking holes in his back a glaring opposite to the pristine keep of his attire. Not that he’d need it now, that man was dead and would be staying that way, there was no doubt about it with the sheer amount of blaster fire piercing through his body.

“It’s a pity my Grand Master fell. He was a beacon of light and excellence in the Jedi Order for so long.” Obi-Wan’s voice only sounded slightly raspy from his duel.

The palm Anakin could still feel started to itch. “Were we not supposed to … kill him?” The end of his sentence came out as a choked whisper, the pain was taking a gruesome hold on his emotions, manifesting first in the closing of his throat and the throbbing sensation on the right side of his body.

Obi-Wan was at Anakin’s side again in an instant, a cool hand covering the bloody and broken skin of his right arm, force flowing from his fingers to begin to heal the wound instead of just desensitizing it. Anakin sighed, the lessening of pain one of the best things that had ever happened to him.“You did good dear one,” He turned to smile at the rest of the troopers who hovered a safe distance from the Sith’s body. “You’ve done the galaxy a service.”

“What will we do? What will the council think?” Anakin murmured, body sagging under the persuasive power of Obi-Wan’s healing aura, he wanted to lay down all the way again. The floor looked extremely welcoming. He just wanted to wake up in a med bay, heavily sedated with Obi-Wan by his side, watchful as always. He wanted the Sith to be nothing more than a cruel joke and for his arm to be a figment of his imagination.

“We have yet to inform them, but I believe we will be more than fine. You were very brave today and I will make sure that bravery will be recognized.”

Anakin nodded, his eyes beginning to swim again. The warm force was wrapping him up in comfort and he was beginning to feel the need to take a nice long nap. Sleep would do him some good and let him forget all the issues weighing heavily on him at the moment.

“Rex,” Called Obi-Wan, already sounding more worn out himself, a by-product of mending Anakin’s crushed bones into something salvageable for the medics. 

“Yes sir?”

“Do we have a medic?”

“I’m here sir.” Called a different trooper in response, stepping up to differentiate himself from the rest of the group.

“Rex, if you could please follow Kix’s lead in attending to Anakin. My padawan needs a human cushion and I am unable to provide that service right now.”

Anakin felt his body change hands, someone being to wipe down the wounds he’d sustained in his brief fight with Dooku and subsequent shuffle with Geonosis’ terrain. Obi-Wan’s blurry figure moved to take a seat next to him, a comforting hand carding through his hair. Other troopers moved closer to them, while some inspected the now cooling body, and another two secured the entrance to the room.

“Jango, do you have a comm strong enough to reach the Jedi Temple in Coruscant?”

The Mandalorian moved to sit next to Obi-Wan, shifting the Jedi Master’s tired weight onto his shoulder as he began to adjust what Anakin could only assume was his comm. “ _ Elek. _ ”

“Anakin.” Obi-Wan’s voice was beginning to sound watery, Anakin briefly blamed whatever Kix had just injected into his arm. “You don’t need to keep fighting to stay conscious. Sleep, you need it.”

Anakin didn’t acknowledge the advice with words, instead just blacking out as a response. He’d been asleep until they woke him up after a visit to the batcha tank on the ship, he was sure of it.

  
  
  


-

  
  
  


Obi-Wan blinked in surprise as Plo Koon’s hologram nodded. “You- could you please repeat that?”

“I’m on Kamino.”   
  


“Already?” The rest of the hologram of Council members seemed as baffled as he was.

“Yes. Your message was quickly received and responded to. I am already-”

Wolfee pushed onto the holo call, the hidden glee on his face betraying the stoic facade he’d been trying to wear. “The 104th claims him as our General.”

“-enjoying my stay.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRANSLATIONS-  
> J:O’r me’sen: in the starship  
> J:Ni nayc utreekov: I am not a fool  
> C:Gar goorar’e jetti lo sho’cye: you threw a jedi into the ocean  
> C:Tion’jor gar gaa’taylir mhi: why would you help us?  
> J:Gar nayc ganar ruusaan: do you not have trust?  
> C:Tion’jor jorhaa’ir norac: why do you talk back?  
> C:Ni al’verde bal gar jorhaa’ir bid ibac: I am commander and you will speak to me as that (meant to mean: I’m the commander and you will refer to me as such aka im your boss u bitch)  
> Elek: yes
> 
> Other Stuffs:  
> -body comm, body cam, get it?? I tried.  
> -AOTC is the best star wars movie and I can not and will not change my mind on that. The absolute dumbassery and overuse of greenscreen really sells it for me. Oh, and the dialogue, that shit is golden.  
> -My favorite line from the movie has got to be when Dooku says “Palpatine is incompetant” and that turns out to be ironic for the next (if we’re counting star wars stories) 9 movies.  
> -Hotdamn, I love to monologue and let's just say I put myself into the mindset of Dooku and ~voila~ we’ve arrived at villain speech city.  
> -Cody’s getting petty and 10/10 that good for him, he deserves recognition for being the voice of reason. Also what else is Obi-Wan’s self proclaimed assistant/bodyguard gonna do about the man showing too much interest for his tastes?? Ignore him?  
> -Obi-Wan slipped in some sleeping pills into Anakin’s force healing, probably a mistake, but definitely appreciated.  
> -Padme was left on Kamino to idk,, be fancy? OH, and Plo is there so they can be examples of good citizenship together. They’re friends now, no takes-backsies  
> -I’ve added another chapter, but the exact amount is still a mystery to me.  
> -EDIT: I've made it so that the translation lets you read who said what easier. C means Cody said it and J means Jango said it. Hope that helps


	7. Chapter seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Sir, Senator Amidala has requested your presence as soon as possible."
> 
> “Well then,” Obi-Wan drifted towards the door. “If you need me, don’t hesitate to comm. I’ll be back soon.”
> 
> “You better be.” Anakin did not want to be left alone in a room to die of boredom, or better yet, have Fett stay a little longer and do boredom’s job himself. He was still wary of the bounty hunter. No matter how much he liked the man’s clones, they seemed to like Jedi while Fett seemed to only tolerate Obi-Wan. And Boba, the man’s demon spawn, was probably the terrible way he was because he was raised specifically by Fett. Anakin had theories on why he didn’t like the kid, and that one certainly took the cake.
> 
> aka Anakin gets to keep his hand and the Jedi Council talks through some pressing issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for the grand finale! Sorry that this is a bit later than I expected, writer’s block is just a tad bit AGGRESSIVE. Thanks for the comments and kudos, enjoy!

Anakin woke up slowly, a fog clouding his mind and adding to the dizziness already present from the drugs he was sure were being pumped into his system. Soft voices floated around him, one being a Coruscanti accent he found extremely familiar, and another he was sure sounded the same as many others. The smell of bacta was heavy and cloying, but Anakin found that he didn’t mind. If it meant he was healed, he could suck it up.

He tried to place where he was and what had happened, consciousness coming as slow as the memories he sought out. They’d been on Geonosis … Master Dooku- no he was a Sith now, had been there. Some other piece of vital information was missing about the fallen Jedi Master … his arm! Anakin turned his attention to his right arm, feeling if there was still any breakage or pain.

“Anakin? Are you awake?” The Coruscanti accent asked softly.

Anakin cracked open one of his eyes to see the speaker looming by his side. Obi-Wan’s face was pinched in worry. “-yes.” He croaked.

Obi-Wan smiled, bringing a cup of water with a straw sticking out to Anakin’s lips. Anakin latched onto it greedily, if he’d spent any long amount of time in the bacta tank that he smelled like, that would account for the dryness of his throat.

When Anakin had drained the cup, he glanced toward Obi-Wan, his eyes still unadjusted to the lights of the medical room. “What happened? Where am I?”

The memories of Geonosis had come back in full force, but Anakin had no idea what had happened after his Master had requested a holo call to the Council.

“We are back on Kamino. You’re in the extensive medical facility.”

“If there was one thing the long necks were good for, it was their scientific breakthroughs.” The other voice from earlier interjected gruffly.

“Jango.” Obi-Wan sighed. “You’re not allowed to kill the Kaminoans just because they hid information from you. Find another reason that would hold up in a court of law and maybe then I’ll turn a blind eye.”

“I can give you plenty of reasons.” Said a trooper from the doorway. Anakin registered the orange markings on his armor and identified the newest visitor as Cody, followed closely by a medic he didn't recognize.

“Cody. Coric.” Obi-Wan greeted them both with a nod. “I’m sure you do have reasons, unfortunately, the way of the Jedi is to seek peace first.”

Cody pulled off his helmet, holding it under his arm. “Is that why General Koon has miraculously convinced the longnecks to leave Tipoca city?”

“It’s the will of the force.” Obi-Wan affirmed cryptically.

Coric walked over to Anakin, picking up a data pad that had been resting on the side table. He was diligently ignoring Cody and Obi-Wan. “How are you feeling sir?”

Anakin sat in silence for a few seconds, trying his best to formulate an answer that wasn’t disjointed. “Better?”

Coric raised a questioning eyebrow. “Is that a question?”

“I think I’m still high on painkillers, but my hand feels fine. Just a little weaker than normal.”

“That’s a good sign.” Coric noted, plugging in information into the data pad. “Kix was able to set and splint your hand on Geonosis and it seems that’s what saved you from amputation.”

All the blood left Anakin’s face. “Amputation?”

“You’ll make a full recovery. A few month-cycles of physical therapy at the least and you’ll be back to normal.”

“Month-cycles?” Anakin licked his lips nervously.

“I’m prescribing you a brace to wear for three week-cycles before you start to handle your lightsaber again. I think it is best if we wait a while before you resume the full extent of Jedi training. Wielding anything dangerous could end badly if you haven't quite regained full motor control.”

“Three week-cyces?” Anakin breathed out in disbelief.

“Coric.” Obi-Wan reprimanded lightly. “You need to work on your bedside manner.”

“Sorry sir.” The medic replied, sounding sheepish.

Obi-Wan turned to face Anakin. “You will recover quickly, I am sure of it. Have no fear, you are being treated with the best medical technology available.”

“That’s only because they did inhumane experiments.” Cody tacked on helpfully.

Obi-Wan nodded. “I’ll let Plo know, he could probably use a bit more spite to fuel him.”

“You are mistaken. General Koon seems to be in high spirits along with the 104th.”

“General-” Coric started, throwing a glare at Cody meant to silence him.

“We aren’t at war. There’s no need for that title.”

Coric looked like he wanted to argue but decided against it. “Sir- as I was saying, Padawan Skywalker should be able to leave the medical ward in a few hours once the painkiller’s side effects wear off. I’ll want him back every day-cycle for a medical evaluation and we will adjust the timeline as needed. In the meantime, I’m going to go retrieve a brace to outfit him with.”

“That sounds good. Thank you Coric.” Obi-Wan said with a nod.

Coric returned the nod and walked out of the room, side eyeing Cody as he went. Cody for his part pretended it didn’t happen and instead went back to updating Obi-Wan.

“I’ve gotten word that Master Shaak Ti has arrived about an hour ago. I believe she was greeted by Domino Squad and Boba.”

“So that’s where he’s been?” Fett asked. “Huh.”

Cody tilted his head a bit to the side, obviously trying just as hard as Anakin was to figure out why the bounty hunter was there. He regained his composure quickly though, his posture becoming unreadable once more. “Yes. We are expecting for Master Mace Windu to arrive in a few hours since his last check in.”

“Mace is coming?” Obi-Wan sounded a bit shocked and Anakin wondered why. Everything the Jedi Order did was Mace Windu’s business. Anakin swore he saw the man almost everywhere. Mace Windu was a constant, and it was rather obvious that he’d show up in person to see what was happening with a whole clone army given to the Jedi.

“Master,” Anakin huffed. “Windu was bound to show up.”

“That’s Master Windu to you, Anakin.”

“But you called him Mace!” Anakin protested.

Obi-Wan sighed. “We are friends, and you are decidedly unfriendly with Master Windu.”

“It’s his fault!” Anakin objected.

Obi-Wan shook his head ruefully. “For some reason, I doubt that.”

Cody looked between the two of them, comparing Anakin’s pout to Obi-Wan’s mask of neutrality covering up his humor. “Sir, Senator Amidala has requested your presence as soon as possible. Her message was vague but I do believe she wishes to speak with you about the Jedi Council.”

“Well then,” Obi-Wan drifted towards the door. “My list of people to visit with has grown once more. If you need me, don’t hesitate to comm.” Obi-Wan looked at Anakin directly. “I’ll be back soon.”

“You better be.” Anakin did not want to be left alone in a room to die of boredom, or better yet, have Fett stay a little longer and do boredom’s job himself. He was still wary of the bounty hunter. No matter how much he liked the man’s clones, they seemed to like Jedi while Fett seemed to only tolerate Obi-Wan. And Boba, the man’s demon spawn, was probably the terrible way he was because he was raised specifically by Fett. Anakin had theories on why he didn’t like the kid, and that one certainly took the cake.

To his immense look, Fett left the room a few moments after Obi-Wan, leaving Cody to stare at him with an indecipherable expression.

“Do you want to watch something on the holo-tv?” He sounded like the question was supposed to be as unobtrusive as possible.

“They’ve got one in here?” Anakin asked in bewilderment. That seems out of place in this environment. He was under the impression that the Kaminoans were not kind to the troopers.

“Well, a few of our slicers rewired one of the flash training modules and the prototype was donated to this room.”

Anakin nodded excitedly. “Then absolutely. What access do you have?”

Cody shuffled. “The connection is not completely stable yet, but we do have downloads available from the data chip General Koon brought.”

“What does he have?”

“A few children’s shows that the cadets adore and documentaries on niche subjects.”

Anakin contemplated. Master Koon was known for his habit of finding children and then acting as their surrogate father. Perhaps the children’s shows were not originally intended for the clone cadets, Anakin wouldn’t put it past him. “How niche?”

“Wookies and the varying architecture styles on Kashyyyk.”

“Okay.” Anakin agreed slowly. It was better than nothing although he was likely to regret his decision later. Cody pulled a remote off the wall and handed it to Anakin. “Thank you.” Anakin said, testing buttons as Cody slowly backed out of the room. He seemed to be relieved the interaction was over.

Anakin frowned and hit play on the documentary, ready to zone out and not absorb a single thing. Reading the subtitles was the only way to understand the howling and grunts of the wookie language, but Anakin didn’t want to put that effort in so he turned them off, content to be unaware of everything.

  
  
  


-

  
  
  


Obi-Wan nodded in agreement at the end of Padme’s impassioned rant. She heaved a deep breath in and looked him dead in the eyes. “We will not, under any circumstances, send these men to war.”

“Senator, you have no need to fear so much. Dooku, the leader of the Separatists, was killed. I do not think that war will come anytime soon. The rest of the Separatists will be in a state of chaos of instability with their loss. This is the best time to engage in peaceful negotiations.”

“Talk of the Separatists has been growing for almost two year-cycles now.” Padme’s brow had furrowed. “I did not know they were so invested as to have a droid army manufacturing plant. I’m glad that you were able to escape from Geonosis.”

“We were able to glean much information from that planet. Senator Amidala, what have you heard about the Separatists?”

“Nothing but whispers. They wanted to break away, form a confederacy to be independent from the Galactic courts most worlds follow now. I not sure why-”

“Sir!” Someone called into the room, hesitating as they stepped into the abandoned office of Tapioca City’s prime minister that Padme had taken over with no hesitation. Obi-Wan stood from his floating chair.

“Hello there.” The trooper straightened at the acknowledgement, his posture becoming impeccable.

“Master Windu has arrived. He said to send for you and that the Council is on the line.”

Obi-Wan gave Padme a nod. “Would you come with me Senator? I’m sure your insights would be extremely valuable.”

She stood, smoothing out invisible wrinkles on her elaborate dress. “Of course, lead the way.”

They found Mace Windu standing in a dark room, the blue holograms of the other Jedi Masters in a semicircle, soft chatter being shared between them. Plo Koon stood off to the side with Shaak Ti. Obi-Wan entered quietly, Padme trailing behind him.

“Welcome.” Mace greeted. “We can get started now. Senator, it’s good to have you here. Your experiences on Kamino and familiarity with the Senate may come in handy.”

“Thank you Master Jedi.” She responded kindly. “I hope I can provide help.”

“How much does the Council already know?” Obi-Wan quietly asked Mace.

The other Jedi frowned. “Everyone has been briefed on your last report, start from there.”

Obi-Wan nodded, clearing his throat and drawing attention to himself. He calmly began to describe the series of events that went down on Geonosis, pausing to answer questions every so often. At the end of his retelling the group sat in silence.

“Sad it is that fallen Dooku had.” Yoda said ruefully, breaking the silence. The loss of his old padawan seemed to weigh heavy on him. Obi-Wan felt guilty for being the one to tell Yoda that his padawan had been seduced to the Dark Side.

Obi-Wan nodded sympathetically. “It was a terrible shock. I never once imagined him turning to the Sith.”

“The apprentice he must have been.” Yoda hummed out. "Always two there are, found a Sith Master Dooku must have."

“He gave me valuable information concerning the Sith before he met his end.” Everyone turned their full attention from Yoda to Obi-Wan. “He accused the Chancellor, Chancellor Palpatine, of being a Sith lord. He told me that the Senate was corrupt and rotten to the core, the influence of the darkside, and I quote ‘hanging off of every last senator’.”

Padme bristled by his side, a frown flashing across her features. She evidently didn’t like the idea. “The Chancellor? Are you sure?”

Obi-Wan nodded. “I know he’s a friend of yours and a fellow citizen of Naboo, but we must be open to every possible angle.”

“I’m not against it, it’s just hard to try and coincide with the image I have of him. I’ve known Sheev Palpatine for so long … if he truly is a Sith, I don’t know what’d I’d do.”

“That settles it, we are starting an intensive investigation effective immediately.” Mace decided. “I will start to put together the plan right after this meeting is adjourned.”

Kit Fisto’s holo projection wavered. “When you form an arrest squad, add me to the list.”

“What should we do about the troopers?” Plo Koon asked in concern, ignoring Kit’s request. “I have already halted the production of the clones, the newest generation still in the growth tubes will be the last. We have no more need to breed men for war.”

Mace looked to the ceiling, his thinking expression falling into place. “If we are able to smooth out the trouble with the Separatists or let them split peacefully then I do have a few ideas.”

“Care to share?” Shaak asked. 

“The Jedi Service Corps could use the manpower. The medics and anyone who wishes to receive medical training could go to the MediCorps. Any of the agriculturally inclined troopers could go to the AgriCorps.”

“The 104th could accompany me on humanitarian aid and relief missions.” Plo caught on excitedly. “We would finally have the numbers to do all the good we want to in the galaxy.”

“It is true.” Shaak said carefully. “The Jedi have never had enough to respond to every plea we’ve gotten, but if this falls into place, we most certainly will.”

A smile spread across Obi-Wan’s face. The possibilities were opening up and revealing a future that was brighter than ever. “This is a wonderful solution.”

“Well,” Mace said. “First we have to investigate the Chancellor. Until the threat of the Sith is neutralized and no war is imminent, every last syllable that was uttered during this meeting is top secret. Our priority is to not look suspicious in the least, I don’t know what tactics the man might have up his sleeve and I do not care to be at the receiving end of it.”

  
“Agreed. Begin to formulate a plan we must. A dangerous threat this could be, clouded the force is.”

“Master Jedi,” Padme interjected. “Should I excuse myself from this conversation?”

Mace nodded. “You may.”

“I will escort you out.” Obi-Wan volunteered. He was not ready to spend another hour in that room discussing. He was involved enough and there was nothing more he wanted to participate in. No one challenged him, so Obi-Wan took his leave with Padme walking with her down the halls til they arrived once more at her apprehended office. Jango stood by the door.

Padme slipped in the door, a smirk playing on her lips and mischief in her eyes as she winked at Obi-Wan before the door slid shut. Obi-Wan ignored the gesture.

“Jango.” He greeted.

“So that dinner … ” Jango let the sentence trail off, his tone laced with something that Obi-Wan couldn’t immediately identify.

“The one where you poisoned me?” Obi-Wan teased.

“Would you like a redo?”

The invitation sounded flirtatious and Obi-Wan felt himself grin. “Definitely.” Jango was someone he wouldn’t mind pursuing something more with. Hopefully this time the man wouldn’t slip something into his tea.

As if reading his mind Jango spoke. “This one will be proper, I swear.”

“You’d better make it up to me as an apology for last time.”

“I will.” Jango promised. “Now, shall we?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Other Stuffs:  
> -Coric is just dumping bad news on Anakin who is getting progressively more distraught.  
> -I have absolutely no medical knowledge except that you aren’t supposed to pull the knife out of the stab wound bc blood loss. Hopefully I never have to use this information.  
> -Jedi heal fast?? The force? The midichlorians said ‘get well soon’? Is that a valid excuse? Yes.  
> -If I was a jedi I’d wanna join the ExplorCorps, 10/10 it sounds like my dream job.  
> -Jango and Obes are going to build a relationship off of mutual respect and interest, hooray.  
> -Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end of the fic, thanks for sticking around. <3  
> my [tumblr](https://sparkly-seagull.tumblr.com/), I promise I'm interesting occasionally


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